Mortality
by MayMargaret
Summary: When Alenia met Jasper, the new town slowly became home. But when Jasper met her, he was reminded of a past foe, long since forgotten. As he falls for her, a new, human enemy intrudes, and Jasper is confronted with a dilemma; to let him live, or kill in her name.
1. Chapter 1

Alenia stood in the deserted library in silence, staring up at the bookcase during her revision break. Quietly stretching, she heard the study room door squeak open and closed noisily, but she was thankful she wasn't alone anymore. The only sound was the gentle beating of the rain against the windows, which made up the majority of the walls. It was slowly becoming rhythmic, but annoying all the same.  
A crimson book caught her eye, the metallic gold writing glinting in the dull light. Reaching to pick it up, she jumped at a sudden voice, and her hand paused in mid air.  
"Let me," a deep voice suggested, and a pale white hand broke into view. Taking the book from the shelf, they held it out to her in an instant. She took it, and followed the brown sleeved arm to find a face.  
What she found left her breathless, and a light blush crept upon her cheeks without much notice.  
"Thanks," she breathed, her voice trembling slightly, and the man smiled a half smile. "No problem," he replied, in a smooth southern accent. She felt herself blush further.  
His honey blond hair held its own glow, clashed strangely with his skin, pale as marble, but not as flawless. Faded marks, slightly paler than the rest of his face and neck, climbed their way up, but not in any way hindering his handsome features. His golden eyes held a spark, like they were older than his youthful face.  
"Japanese mythology," he observed, peering down at the book in interest, which had long since been forgotten.  
"Yeah, study," she laughed, each word falling from her mouth sounding dumb to her cringing ears.  
"Ditto," he said grudgingly, motioning to an area behind his shoulder. On the table behind, at the end of which were a couple of her own books and a laptop, a large, foot high pile of books stood, just about ready to topple over.  
"No way," she stated, dumbfounded. "You poor thing."  
He laughed self pityingly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.  
"Well, you'd better get a move on," she suggested, and took one fleeting glance before they both sat at their places, Alenia trying to immerse herself back into her history revision.

Jasper stared at the words intensely, but didn't see a single meaning behind them. He took a look at the girl ahead, fast enough for any human to miss, but long enough to capture her image, her bowed head focused on the books anyway.  
Looking at her, he was reminded of a person he hadn't thought of since the winter war. A person, he, when considering her, only thought of negativity. It was only fleeting, however, because the girl was nothing like her. While Victoria's hair was violent red, matching her blood eyes, this girl was...well, he didn't know. Her hair was golden, rich and weaved with only hints of red. Her amber eyes glistened with an innocence, and an intelligence Victoria couldn't understand. No, this girl was nothing like her, but her appearance did make him wonder.  
Her pale skin was almost as white as his own, but he felt the heat radiating from her, enough to confirm her as human. As much as she was more beautiful that most vampires he had met, she was definitely, and gloriously, human.

Alenia glanced up at the end of the table upon realizing how alone she felt suddenly, and she was right. He was gone, without her even seeing him leave.


	2. Chapter 2

"Raining much?" Scott, her elder brother, asked sarcastically as he greeted her at the door. "Shut up," she scowled, too cold and wet to think of a better insult. Peeling her coat and her bag away, she grabbed a towel from upstairs, and found her mother in the kitchen, Scott sat at the dining table in the adjoining room.  
"You know, if you called there may have been a 1 in 5 chance i would pick you up," he informed, totally serious, and Alenia glared.  
"Its late," she stated, not tired at all. She was completely alert, and as she said the words, her nervousness about tomorrow finally kicked in after laying dormant for a the two weeks she prepared for it.  
"Yeah, get some sleep," her mother advised, making her way into the living area. "Have you eaten?" she asked, and Alenia shook her head. "Not hungry."

A few minutes later, she was settled in bed after a lengthy argument over food, her Japanese mythology book in her hands. "You're gonna be fine," she chanted to herself, her pulse thumping away uncomfortably. "It's just school."  
She opened her book to the first page, and frowned. It had appeared that someone had written across the inside cover.

Mind if i borrow this?

Confused, Alenia thought back to the guy that hadn't really left her mind since the library. How strange he seemed suddenly picked at her mind.  
No, that was illogical. The book was right next to her. As for not seeing him leave the room, perhaps she was just too concentrated in her revision. She had a habit of losing herself, sometimes. But she couldn't remember doing that today.  
And what about the message? That could be old, and she checked the ink to see if it was fresh. It gave a light smudge, but did that mean anything?  
'Gonna drive yourself crazy, she warned herself mentally, before throwing the book to the bottom of her bed and covering herself with covers, going through all sorts of games in her head to occupy her neurosis.

Jasper entered the front door from the heavy rain, his hair dripping in his eyes and too the floor. It wasn't too loud, but the hearing in this place could never be avoided.  
"You're making a mess," Carlisle warned jokingly as he came down the stairs, unusually slow.  
"Sorry," Jasper grumbled, and noticed the concerned look on his father's face, paired with the discomfort radiating from him.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Edward wants to talk to you," he said, assuming his calm demeanor and placing his doctor's smile, the one that didn't quite reach his eyes.  
"Why?"  
Jasper watched as Carlisle, from the distance between them, searched his eyes momentarily.  
"Something he heard," he riddled, almost teasing. Jasper had an idea that he was being mocked, which he detested.

"Fine," he said, coldly, showing his father his irritation without showing anything at all. They all knew him too well.

They both made their way into the upstairs kitchen, where everyone was gathered. His 3 sisters behind the empty counter, his mother next to the door, and Emmett and Edward stood next to a pillar. It suddenly felt as awkward as when Edward introduced Bella the first time. He almost laughed at the memory, but hid it with a throat clearing.

"Well?"

Edward came forward first, but Emmett began to follow. Unfortunately, he was faster, and before he knew it Jasper was in a very uncomfortable body grip. He stopped struggling slightly when he realized the hug, and frowned in confusion. He struggled more as the silence continued, and was soon affected by small breathes of laughter.

"Why?" he grunted, his younger brother begrudgingly stronger than he at the moment. His only tactics would hurt him, and he did not like the idea of constant dirty Emmett-fights.

"Ed told us," Bella interjected, only leaving more questions in Jasper's mind.

"Ya'll talking in riddles," he stated. Emmett finally gave his brotherly affection up, and departed with the grin he wears after making an innuendo. Complete with raised eyebrows.

"About the girl you met in the library," Edward finally announced, and Jasper's mind clicked. "What about her?"

That particular brother, however, was not so pleased. His eyes held thunder.

"Is she ok?" His voice was restrained. Jasper grew defensive. "Of course," he confirmed, almost a growl.

"Edward, Jasper is fine now," Bella reminded her husband, and Jasper glanced at her thankfully. As usual, her eyes were only for Ed.

"He might relapse," he stated, standing tall and a cold expression on his features. "You know what he's like," he added, his old protectiveness shining through, never actually going away since she turned.

"I would never hurt her," Jasper said, before turning to leave his family in the kitchen, and finding his own, welcome solitary room.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oi! Get up now and Mom says to give you a lift."

Alenia groaned at the sound of her brother's muffled voice behind the closed door, a sure sign that the day had come, and what ever lovely dream she was having was now forgotten in the wind.

"Are you listening?"

"Yes!"

Rolling gracelessly out of her bed, she slowly, trance-like, began picking her clothes from her wicker chair in the corner of the room and headed into the bathroom to get dressed. She was half grateful it only took half an hour, her hair a constant mane of curls, but half of her needed something to take her mind off today. She checked her appearance once before leaving her room, looking decent in a short dress, less jewelry than normal, and found her Scott just at the top of the stairs, fake shock on his face.

"You're...that must be a record," he stated, but shut up from the look on his little sister's face. She may be small, but she could be scary at times.

"Breakfast then go?" She asked, taking a deep breath. He nodded, finding her nerves amusing. "Why is it the only times you show emotion are when you're angry or nervous?"

She was asked that question by him, and her mother, on a regular basis. "Ask Dad," she advised him, as always. He was the same.

Breakfast flew by painfully quick, and Scott sat across from her on the dinner table, folding his hands in front of him. "It is time," he said seriously.

Not in the mood for a retort, or even a scowl, she nodded. "Beam me up, Scotty."

"You sure you don't want me to walk you to class, I've never seen an American school before," Scott said, and Alenia rolled her eyes. "Its just like TV," she breathed, wanting to get this all over with. She opened the passenger door, climbed out, and took a long look at the drab building. "Glam," she commented to herself sarcastically. The brown and white walls looked like they needed cleaning, or repainting, or maybe that was just the dark clouds making them look more discolored.

"Good luck," her brother shouted, before driving away, leaving her to force herself to relax. "You're going to be fine," she told herself out loud, and pushed her irrational nerves aside to walk forward.

"Your first class is chemistry, if you would like to walk down this hall here," the short kind woman advised behind the desk, pointing with a pen and tracing the map, "turn left, right, and its right at the end, okay?"

Alenia smiled, now that one of the worst parts were over with, and followed the directions. After enduring a few stares, she found her class with ease, and knocked almost confidently at the door.

"Come in," a deep voice called, and she pushed the already ajar door. Inside, she found an almost empty class, 1 student and a teacher ready to greet her. "You must be Miss...Damson?" the tall, young man asked, and she nodded.

"You're early, keep this up and you'll be a favorite," he joked, only obvious by a short scoff at the end. Although he was weird, he seemed okay. "I don't have to introduce myself to the class, do I?"

He nodded, a small knowing smile on his face. "No, not in here. I know how nerve-raking that can be," he empathized, and began scanning the class room. "If you prefer to work on your own, I don't mind if you want to sit at the back," he said, seeming to be reading her mind. She always did that at her old school. "Thanks," she said, and made her way, shouts of fellow students gaining and entering the room. Class, one minute later, had begun. Unlike chemistry at home, she actually enjoyed it. A new term meant a fresh start, not just for her.

"History next," she read as she exited the class room, and followed the path lines with her finger. She stopped mid way through the corridor when she realized it was only at the end of the hall. She walked round the person stood before her, staring at the page.

"Hello?" a voice called behind, and Alenia jumped. She turned, wide eyed, and her eyes fell on the only guy she recognized in this place.

"Hi, sorry, world of my own there," she joked nervously, flitting her eyes from his grinning face, just as much surprise in his golden eyes as she felt.


	4. Chapter 4

"You...you go here?" he said, stumbling over his words, uncharacteristic judging by the stares of the four others behind him. A snort sounded, and a rather large guy was smirking. "Smooth." The comment earned a gentle nudge from the blond next to him, and he gave an inconspicuous grunt.

"Just started today," Alenia reasoned, the full force of the others' gaze making her uncomfortable. She shifted on the spot and brushed her hair behind her shoulder. "I never found out your name." His face was momentarily aghast.

"You never introduced yourself? Such a gentleman, Jazz," a brunette joked from behind, while the tall guy next to her continued to be indecisive as to whether he was scowling or staring. Alenia gave him a nervous smile, and his eyes softened slightly. "Shush, Bells," he whispered, and earned a startled look from the girl under his arm.

"Jasper, Whitlock...nice to meet you," he announced formally, his Southern accent reflecting through. She smiled at the way his posture and accent reminded her of a soldier. "Alenia Damson," she replied to his smiling face, which grew even more. Secretly, she couldn't get over how much she loved his name.

"Junior or senior?"

Alenia looked up at the tall, wild haired guy, who seemed to be slowly softening. "Junior," she said unsteadily.

"Which class do you have now?" Jasper suddenly asked, and she checked her timetable. "History."

"You're with my brother, Edward, then," he said, a little disheartened, and she would be lying if it didnt make her feel a little good. "Cool," she simply replied, unable to keep the smile from her face. "At least I'll have someone i know," she joked.

"We haven't been here long either," the brunette said, "me less that the others, anyway," she added. After a few exchanged looks and whispers, the blond and the tall guy, and the brunette left down the hall, and the three of them began walking to the bottom of the hall in silence.

"Good luck," Jasper said as they came to the door, and she gave a confident smile. "Don't need it," she replied, and felt a little brave. "Will I see you afterwards?"

His smile suddenly returned. "Of course, for lunch."

Edward choked behind. Jasper gave him a death glare and waved his goodbyes, while his brother and Alenia entered the class, which looked more like a dark mini lecture hall. A short, spikey haired man bounced from his desk, the projector light flitting in and out of this glasses. "You must be Alenia," he said, a smile and a hand prepared to be shaken. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, I hear you may be a star student!"

Alenia blushed, and frowned, before switching back to embarrassed smile. "I try," she said as her voice trembled with nerves.

"Indeed! Now, I see you've made friends with our Mr Cullen, If you would like to sit with him," he motioned enthusiastically, and she began to follow her apparent 'friend' to the very back of the class.

"What was all that about?" He said with a frown, as we sat side by side. The girl shrugged, not willing to admit. She scanned the room, and the 6 other early occupants. One, a tanned boy, was staring at her intensely.

"Dammit," Edward cursed quietly beside her, and her frown turned to him. "Whats wrong?"

"Nothing," he whispered, but she found his eyes trained on the same direction as the boy below them, craning his neck and a sleazy smile lighting up his shadowed eyes...

Edward inwardly cursed as he watched the boy, watching her as through she were some illicit prey. What bothered him most was that he couldn't read that little rats mind. Since Bella had chosen to put her mind protection on each person in the school so they could live a little more normally, he was practically deaf in this building. Life was definitely a lot quieter.

But now, when he needed it, he cursed his wife and her good intentions, and that was something he never did. He would have to wait until they were out of the building.

Why am I concerned, he asked himself, confused by his softening towards the girl beside him. Yes, he was hostile the very moment he saw her, and as he felt his wife tense up beside him, but that was understandable. He was sure Jasper thought of the same thing when his eyes first fell on her, and who she distantly resembled. If he could see past thoughts, like Aro, he would know for sure.

And yet, in the most part she looked nothing like that...monster. Her face wasn't permanently poised for a deceptive smile or a murderous scowl. Her eyes and hair were blood red, while this girl was amber. But whether he could trust an apparent human who so resembled a past enemy on first glance, he wasn't sure. He only hoped Jasper would maintain his perceptive quality...

"How was it?" Jasper called, as Alenia and Edward filtered from the current of students with ease, but earning some looks of anger. "Great! We started on Greek civilization," she informed him happily, and he pushed away from the wall on which he was leaning with his foot to join them. "Sounds interesting," he chuckled, and she felt dizzy.

Something tapped on her shoulder, and she looked round automatically, to find the guy who was staring at her all through class. He wore the same grin, the one that made her skin crawl.

"Sup," he said, his eyes everywhere on her but he eyes. Alarm bells began to sound in the distance.

"Yes?" she asked, and his eyes switched to the two guys behind her. Jasper came round on her left.

"Want something?" He asked coldly, and she imagined his distant face holding scolding eyes, hot with danger. An image that came easily. The boy in front of them smiled more, his eyes on her again. "Yes, I wanted to ask her if she wanted to do something sometime."

A hand fell into hers, and she gripped it reassuringly, naturally.

"Not with you, no," she shot back at him, and his confidence faltered. "Sure?"

"Positive," she assured, "I trust your use of the word 'something' may hold various colorful meanings."

She heard a quiet smirk beside her, and she smiled slightly.

"You bet they do," the boy warned, almost growling, his eyes threatening. He turned slowly, his gaze lingering on her for a little while, before disappearing behind the corridor wall, and they were alone.

"Nice," Jasper's voice commented, and Alenia looked up to see a small proud look on his face. "Thanks," she breathed, unable to keep the nerves from her voice. His ice cold hand was still enveloped around her own small fingers, electric on her skin. She didn't want to remind him in case he would take it way, but instead he cleared his throat, separated them, and had a look on his face that was missing red cheeks. "Lunch?" he asked, and they each made their way down to the cafeteria in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the day drifted by without much incidence. Having been introduced to the rest of the Cullen's, firmly accepted (by some small force by Emmett, who thought she was cute and encouraged Jasper to let her sit between them so he could feel taller) by them as part of their circle, endured 3 more classes and evaded the presence of that guy, Alenia found that she loved her new home. Much of it was to do with Jasper, she knew that as she realized her love only began and grew from when she found him as a fellow student. Now, as she walked with him to the parking lot, she internally compared this with walking in this morning, and how differently she viewed this place.

"Are you sure you're being picked up?" he asked her, having checked and asked twice whether she needed a lift home. She shook her head with some disappointment, knowing her brother would be more than pissy with her if she abandoned him as the gate. "Im fine, but thanks for the offer," she said, and they paused outside a silver car parked next to a jeep. The look in Jasper's eyes was distant, in and out of focus, exchanging to quickly for her too keep track of. "Are you ok?" she asked him, and he snapped back into attention. "Yeah, sorry, just thinking," he explained, frowning slightly. "Inform your brother that he need not give you a ride in the morning," he said, smiling slightly again, the glint back in his eyes. "Unless you mind," he suddenly added, but she shook her head quickly. "No of course not!" she laughed, and hesitated.

"I'll see you in the morning then," she said, and waved her goodbyes to his siblings before hurrying through the rain and to the exit of the parking lot...

The roads and trees sped past Jasper's eyes with no hesitation, and his hands gripped at the steering wheel with generous strength. Outside, he was cold and calculative Jazz. Inside, he was seething, and already deciding how to rip that little insect to shreds. Since the short exchange with Edward between his car and the jeep, it was all he could do not to go and track him.

He once again reran the scene through his mind, checking for anything that could indicate another meaning...

He watched her figure become smaller and smaller in the distance, before disappearing behind a reversing car at the end of the lot. He turned back to this family, huddled together while Bella waited for her husband to get into their maroon Porsche. He was, however, waiting next to Jasper's own silver one, and Jasper could feel his anger and concern as much as he could feel his own emotions.

"What?" he said, gaining on his brother, whose eyes never left his, eyebrows drawn in worry. His eyes switched to a spot behind him, where that kid stood, watching them with an intense glare.

"Are you...?" Jasper asked, hesitant with dread on what he would hear were his thoughts. Edward nodded slowly.

"What was he thinking while she was...?"

Edward's expression changed, and crumpled into cold disdain. It lasted only a second, but Jasper lost all control for a split second, and his blood lust surged through him like wild fire. He couldn't speak, no words could escape.

He turned, his usual speed, to see him, but he was gone, along with the car he was waiting by. He shot into his own car, leaving the others behind. He had no concern for subtlety now...

Since then, he had been driving round the wooded roads for an unknown amount of time, but the atmosphere had darkened slightly since beginning. He told himself it was pride and self preservation that was stopping him, but there was always some little voice that told him that wasn't it. And then his mind would fall back to her, and his anger would momentarily fade. But then the look on Edward's face, the unspoken words he no doubt wished to reveal, just to let them escape, brought it all back with a vengeance. It was, no doubt, a vicious circle.

Jasper finally entered the familiar lane that lead to the house, and his fingers loosened on the wheel, but the felt the grooves beneath them that he had crushed into the leather.

Parking outside, he sat back, and breathed a long, calming breath. His eyes found the imprints on the wheel, now a constant reminder of the rage that caused them.


	6. Chapter 6

"Gotta boyfriend yet?" Scott asked her as soon as she entered the passenger seat. She blushed furiously.

"N-no," she rushed out, and snapped away her eyes from his profile and hid under her hair as he gasped.

"You have! Ooo oh whats he like?" he quizzed, mimicking the tone of an excited girl. He clapped his fingers on the wheel to further the mocking.

"Shut up," she groaned, her cheeks burning. But he had tactics.

"If you don't dish ill follow you around school tomorrow," he warned, and Alenia snapped her eyes back to him. "They won't let you in," she reasoned, but he shook his head to face forward again, a sinister grin on his boyish face. "I have my ways," he sang darkly, and she was suddenly reminded of Emmett.

Scott's eyes darted to her as she let out a small giggle. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, the smile lingering on her face as she remembered Jasper's glares at his larger brother when he said he wanted to keep her, Casper the Friendly Ghost style.

"I have friends, so it was a good day," she said happily, but her brother pursued the topic in hand. "Aww thinking about your boyfriend?" He taunted, but she resisted the embarrassment. "Actually I was thinking of how his brother reminds me of you, in a less brainless kind of way."

"Oh you bitch," he snapped dramatically. "So it was a good day?" he asked finally, and his sister nodded contentedly.

"At least I got you to admit you had a boyfriend," he quietly added as a silence fell. Crap, she would never hear the end of that one.

"You don't have to drive me to school tomorrow, by the way," she replied, conveying Jasper's message. Another silence fell, only the constant hum of the engine breaking it.

"Ni, you've known this guy a day. Slow down," he advised, and Alenia knew he was serious from the rare use of his nickname for her.

"You can meet him if you're up on time, he's a proper gentleman. Besides, I've known him since yesterday, and you might get to see the Porsche," she said, singing the last bit as she watched his face falter.

"As long as he meets my impossibly high standards. And he's not just another punk like those kids from home," he reasoned, referring to the past dates he had met. Those he allowed barely qualified.

"'Punks'?"

"I was watching some American tv," he explained as he shrugged his term away, "a lot of the protective males said it, caught on I think."

Alenia laughed at her brother's efforts to fit in, especially word the words clashed with his English accent.

"So how many people offered you tea and pretended to be Alfred the butler?" He asked, seeming to read her train of thought...

Edward heard the barely audible click of the front door, and looked towards the entrance of the living area he occupied. The tv was on, but he wasn't as immersed as his brother, Emmett, and his father was watching him as Jasper appeared. His expression was detached, but his thoughts were barely tuned. Either he wasn't thinking, which Jasper always was doing, or he was blocking him, something each of his family members had learned to do.

He took his return as a good sign, and he looked quite normal. He was concerned that their last conversation had sent him over the edge, especially the flash of rage on his face, too fast for a human to see.

"Are you alright, Jasper?" Carlisle's voice asked softly from the far sofa, and Edward looked to his lap after listening to his father's thoughts. He was proud of his adopted son for his control, but disappointed at his second eldest for not trusting him. Carlisle was thinking perhaps that Edward got his facts wrong. His eyes rose back to his brother, who looked slightly worn. He wished he could tap into his mind, but he had all sorts of defensives. But one thing was clear, his blackening eyes hadn't been fed all day, and Edward understood his own guilt.

"I thought about it," his brother whispered, his mind beginning to relax a little. Dark honey eyes on the coffee table, he continued. "I thought I might lose control," he snorted dryly, this southern voice distant and husky from lack use, "but I didn't. And I won't from now on," he announced defiantly, and his eyes connected with Edwards.

"You'll learn someday, bro," he said darkly, and Edward was blinded by a flash of an image Jasper had gotten from one of Renesme's drawings. Her, stood next to a large, brown wolf at the alter, and anger surged through him.

"You bastard," he scowled, and Jasper disappeared before his eyes could catch up.


	7. Chapter 7

Later that night, Jasper came across his father descending down the stair case, purposefully strolling with a slow step, or, at least slow for one of their kind, in order to cross with his son's path. He did that, knowing that Jasper would want to avoid him at that time.

"You will have to confront her, sooner or later," he advised in his fatherly fashion, blocking Jasper's path toward the living area. He looked up to his father sadly. "I have nothing to say to her, nothing," he replied, a line he repeated each time he was told. The frequency lessened over the last few months, until only Carlisle said it. He was the only on in the house other than Esme who would even register her existence.

He looked down, shaking his head in that way, knowing by now when to give up. "I do think that is what will help her," he sighed, and stood straight to eye the other man fully.

"I think she deserves to know about her," he stated, the faint pity back in his eyes. Jasper shook his head again. "If anything does more bad than good, it's that. Besides, it's none of her business now. She cut away that right."

He began to walk away.

"Jasper, how can you be so cold about her?" His father whispered. His voice was as broken as his could get, a sign that he knew part of the answer, and understood, but wished to hear it said out-loud.

"Imagine if Esme attacked a random bystander for no apparent reason, after years of belittling your own control. Your own wife becoming nothing more than a stranger, and you become so disconnected, you begin to wonder whether you ever loved her in the first place."

With that he walked away, wishing he hadn't promised Emmett that game of chess. At these times, emotions ran so high they were difficult to differentiate and control, and slowly they became his to bare.

Emmett was already at the coffee table, the board set out atop the glass surface. If he lost, he pitied the poor defenceless coffee table under Emmett's fist. They had already replaced it 3 times in the last week.

"7-4 to you, right?"

Jasper sat opposite his bear of a brother, and made his first move instantly. "Ready for a thrashing?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. Emmett flashed his teeth. "You'd better be."

As the game continued, the rain outside became heavier, and Jasper's mind wondered to the day previous. Wow, he had only known her a day. Why did that surprise him, disappoint him, and excite him all at once?

He wondered what she was doing right now, if not asleep. The clock read half past 1, questionable.

7 hours until he saw her, nervousness bubbled in his stomach in a relatively unfamiliar way...

She couldn't sleep. Typical. Absolutely typical.

Alenia checked her bed side table, on which her alarm clock rested.

"Quarter to two," she groaned, her heavy eyes closing In irritation. On one hand she was nervous about the morning, on one she was excited, and on another, third hand she knew she needed sleep. Each cancelled each other out harmoniously, and try as she might, her mind would not be occupied or switched off.

Sighing loudly, Alenia sat up and climbed from her bed, the cool air hitting her legs. She made her way to the large window to feel a draft, and opened the curtains to close the window.

Her keen eyes caught a movement in the almost complete darkness, hidden among the shadows of trees below. Rustling, and a _snap._

A small, sharp whimper escaped her lips, and goosebumps rose along her arms, and she could feel...eyes.

She thought about saying hello, but who would reply if they didn't want to be seen? Concealed in the masses of trees, in the dark shadow of night, they obviously have no wish to be known.

Oh, you're being ridiculous, she told herself, snapping the window shut and closing the curtains, but those words of wisdom didn't help her unease.


	8. Chapter 8

_Knock knock_

"Yes?"

The bedroom door opened, and Alenia glanced at her mother as she entered. She looked her over speculatively. "Didnt expect you to be up," she said, and Alenia looked back at her clock from the bottom of the bed. "Couldn't sleep," she replied, fixing her eyes back to the Egyptian Myths book at her tucked up legs. "Gave up trying at 4 30."

Carla shook her head at her daughter, the occasion insomniac, and wondered whether something was on her mind.

"How was school?" She hadn't had chance to talk to her since finishing her last shift, by which time Alenia was in bed. She shrugged, but her fingers were tapping on the page.

"Better than home," she finally breathed, tearing her eyes from the page and looking at her mother with a smile. A genuine one that told her that this move was a good idea.

"Scott mentioned you made some friends?"

She nodded, and her eyes were thoughtful. Alenia once again glanced back at the clock, before snapping her head back round to stare.

"Really wish I got some sleep," she laughed sleepily, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, and brushing her long curls from her face.

"Well, I'm off to work Sweet, is Scott taking you today?"

Her daughter's amber eyes were wide and pensive, and looked up to Carla with slight excitment. "..no..."

She smiled and laughed at her expression. "Flying then?"

Alenia shook her head. "A friend is picking me up." At that she averted her gaze with a shy smile. "Boy?"

She nodded sheepishly, and suddenly it made sense. She was a self confessed neurotic, one that basically only showed nerves, and this was one of these moments. So much like her father, she thought with a laugh. "You'd better tell me about him later," she said, and kissed her daughter on the forehead before leaving her to wave goodbye hastily...

So nosy, she thought herself, just like her brother.

Alenia looked back down to the book at her feet, she same one she had been trying to focus on since her half hour nap a few hours before. Every so often, she would think she heard a tapping at her window, but told herself it was a branch. A branch in the very still breeze, however. She would take her mind of it by thinking about something else, and her mind trailed back to the other potent subject, and she would become nervous instead of uneasy. It was a constant battle over which she preferred, or hated most, and it was giving her a head ache as well as lack of sleep. And now, she dared not go to sleep, she thought to herself as she yawned for the thousandth time...

Jasper moved unusually fast that morning, fast, and...jittery. Jittery was not a word in Jasper's vocabulary, much less in his movements. And yet today, so far, he had knocked over and saved Esme's favourite glass vase, lost one out of 4 games to Emmett, of all opponents to lose to, and allowed twice for Edward to break into his mental defenses. Only for a second, of course, but it was enough to receive knowing glances from his overly perceptive younger brother. Passing in the hall on his way out, he was stopped by his taller sibling, and his eyes had softened considerably since he threw that image which had angered him so.

"Nervous?" He asked him, a small smile playing in his eyes. Jasper merely frowned at the notion, as a soldier, he turned a blind eye to such trivial emotions. He pushed passed his brother to get to the door, but he was already there to stop him.

"You're as bad as I was when I first met Bella," he remarked, not shifting from his guarding stance one bit. "You never picked me up on it; of course you gathered I was nervous, but you never related to it," he added, thought in his eyes, and Jasper caught the quick glance toward the door at the top of the stair case.

With a curt nod to show agreement, Edward moved aside, allowing Jasper outside, not registering the tapping fingers tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket...

The door opened to reveal a tall, dark haired young man, who reminded him of someone familiar. Off him radiated levels of..protectiveness? Jasper's eyebrow arched in recognition.

"You're here for Ni?"

Jasper nodded, and Scott mistook his stoic expression for arrogance, judging by the contemptuous judgement in his eyes. Many had the same impression upon first meeting.

"Jasper," he offered, and held his out his hand from his pocket. Scott eyed it suspiciously, before slowly accepting it. "Scott, Ni's brother." His brown goes glanced over Jasper's shoulder for a moment, before retreating back into the house. Inside he heard footsteps descending down the steps. "He's here," Scott's voice whispered, and nervousness flowed though him, and he didnt know who's was who's. She appeared in the door way, and it increased, and suddenly Edward's words made sense. He never felt this for Alice. He didnt feel it this strongly when he recognised the fellow vampire across the diner. Yes, he felt accepted, in a way, and a sense of belonging. But only with his kind, not with her so much.

"Hello," she breathed with smile, her voice low, and he grinned in return. "Morning," he said, and caught the brother glancing between them protectively. Jasper finally realised who he reminded him of, more in features, he never knew the man personally, but recognised the missing person picture on the news a couple of years ago. Riley. Thankfully, this guy was sane, unlike the picture painted of Riley by Edward. Just displaying the elder brother routine.

"Ok?" Alenia said, bouncing slightly on her feet. Scott nodded, and the two students made their way to the car...

"Bored?" Jasper chuckled as Alenia yawned for the second time since the journey began. She shook her head hastily. "Didnt get much sleep," she reasoned, laughing at his paranoid assumption.

"How come?" He asked, and she blushed lightly. "No reason," she said, and the incident at the window nudged back into her mind.

"Worried," he whispered, and Alenia looked back to him. "Sorry?"

He cleared his throat, and his hands shifted slightly on the wheel. "Worried about something?"

Alenia shook her head in a lie, focusing on how the word seemed more stated than questioned. It was silent for a second as he paused to think. "You're worried, perhaps uneasy, about something," he observed, his eyes staring ahead as he drove but not particularly focused. Alenia thought it was strange, but maybe he just heard it in her voice. Maybe he was just very intuitive.

"Just my imagination playing tricks on me, I guess," she began, also looking ahead. She felt eyes on her, though.

"What happened?"

"Thought I heard something at my window, like a tap, but I looked outside and no one was there...then there was something in the bushes," she recalled, remembering the goosebumps on her forearms.

"...and?" he pursued, more than questioned. Like he knew there was more.

"I felt like I was being watched, and I'm usually right about those feelings," she admitted...

Jasper couldn't think straight. Despite trying, and failing to convince himself it was paranoia though the majority of last night, the feeling he got then tugged at his memory as she spoke, indicating a connection.

_Bastard,_ he growled mentally, at no one in particular, but already knowing in his mind who it was.


	9. Chapter 9

The day began a little extraordinarily, and Alenia climbed from the car with eyes following her every move. As she appeared over the roof, as she joined Jasper with the rest of the Cullens to say hello, and as they collectively entered the school. They were unaffected by the stares, unsurprisingly, but being watched was something Alenia wasn't fond of, especially not in this way.

"This is familiar," Rosalie uttered from behind, and the girl simply ignored the comment. Jasper, however, lessened the small gap between them to whisper. "I think these are the most stares weve had since we started," he chuckled, but she heard a light tone of sarcasm in his voice. "Do i detect a hint of jealousy?" she joked as her eyes flitted across some of the faces, heavy with contempt and disdain. "A lot, mostly directed at him," Edward said from the side, leaning around Bella to say it. Alenia laughed and smiled in amusement, but inside she was squirming.

Comparatively, the rest of the day flew by in a far less interesting way. They didn't even cross _him_ once. Jasper informed her that he wasn't in class, and this was confirmed when he failed to turn up in history. In a way, her relief was hindered by a nagging, dull panic. _Because he was there all night,_ her conscious whispered, but she pushed it away. Far away enough that her new friends didn't notice, and they were quite perceptive.

.

"Thanks for the ride," she said as they pulled up outside. He breathed softly beside her, and she turned to see him smiling faintly. "I think we have an audience," he said, flicking his head to the house. The curtain twitched, and two faces flashed away. Alenia scowled softly, and began to open the door. "See you tomorrow?" She turneother head to catch the door close, and an instant later her own clicked open.

"What?" He asked innocently as he saw her expression, surprise and embarrassment combined. "Quite the gentleman," she chuckled, failing to hide her blush as she stepped out of the car. He joined her as she walked to her door, which flew open to reveal her mother.

"Hey sweet," she chimed happily, eyeing the handsome stranger beside me with little subtlety.

"Mom, Jasper, Jasper, mom," her daughter introduced awkwardly, but Jasper was already shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am," he complimented in his deep Southern voice, and her mother clearly approved of his manners. "And you, Jasper? Unusual name," she chuckled, and beamed at Alenia. "Nice day at school?"

"Uh huh," she replied, and Carla took the message from the look in her eyes. "I'll leave you to it, then, bye!" She called as she disappeared, leaving her mortified daughter to reconsider the implications behind "leave you to it". She hopped inside and faced the boy, now only a couple of inches taller, the step making her almost at eye level.

"Thanks again," she said, her cheeks glowing, and Jasper chuckled at her expression. "She seems nice," he said simply, his molten gold eyes shining with amusement. Alenia shook her head derisively, and his lips relaxed into a simple smile. "Same time tomorrow?"

Alenia nodded happily, knowing that, from the relief in his eyes, he would only be glad to. He backed away from her, only turning his back to her mid way down the drive, and sped away in the car as she waved, feeling light as a feather as she closed the door, leaning on it thoughtfully.

"So that's why you're glad we moved here," her mother called from the kitchen, her voice over the snapping of the knife chopping the salad. She nudged herself from the door and found her way to the adjoining dining room, slide into the chair and faced her mother with a non threatening scowl.

"He's nice," she replied simply, but her mother gaped at the understatement of the millennium. She had a habit of understatement. "He's definately handsome," her mother praised, and Alenia nodded distantly, his face clearly in her mind.

"And he seems to be as smitten as you are," she added, and Alenia snapped to attention. "We've only known eachother 3 days, mom."

Carla held up her hand in protest. "The moment I met your father by the coffee machine I knew, and he hadnt even asked me to borrow him change, yet."

Alenia secretly hoped Carla wouldn't verbally reminisce about how she and her father, Mike, had met, because she wouldn't really listen. For one, she had heard it so many times already and two, she was already planning what to wear tomorrow, just as anxious as last night about the following morning.

A low rumble sounded, and the rain began its patter against the conservatory roof. It grew heavier, and heavier, and Alenia thought back to the day of the library. Since then, she found she liked the rhythmic patterns of the rain...

Emmett huffed audibly as he rested his bulky, standing frame against the tree. While he was as up for protecting Jasper's new pixy of a girlfriend as much as the man himself was, he didnt exactly enjoy protecting her outside, in the dark, under the showers, hidden amongst the trees just outside her house. Although he was supposed to be looking out for potential perverts and stalkers, he didnt feeling far off from one himself. Especially as her boutite sihlouette flitted across the closed blinds.

A smell caught his senses, and he was alert as it closed in. It was infront of him, and it was human. Alenia's scent he knew, and it was too clean and distant to be confused with this one. No, this was someone else.

Catching himself from his mysterious narration, he snuck with the agility and caution to make a ninja seem noisy, across the small patch of green between the trees in which he was hiding and the forage the new comer seemed to be concealing himself in.

A light thump beside him, and he snapped his head to find his eldest brother. Jasper nodded curtly, a cold flame in his similar eyes, and turned to focus his attention to the prey. Emmett wondered what he must be sensing from this person with his abilities, and was only relieved that Edward wasn't around.

"No blood, no blood," he heard Jasper chant to himself, barily audibly, but it was for both of them. Emmett nodded, but considered how difficult that might be for that particular vampire. Granted, he had, eventually proven, greater control than his greatest doubter, and had shown little to no interest in human blood in the last couple of years since. However, how would he fare against the blood of a stalker, victimising his mate? Because even Emmett could see that she was his mate, he imagined the same look in his own eyes with Rose as easily as he could say a tree was made of wood.

And it was his obligation as a brother and as a friend to make sure Jas didn't mess that up. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, Emmett turned the blond haired man to Face him. "We'll spook him, that's it." Jasper's expression darkened. His eyes aflame. "And let him carry on doing this?" He whispered harshly, and a rustle in the bushes sounded. The two brothers ignored it.

"Jas, do you really want to kill in her name?"...

Jasper was caught off guard by Emmett's question, simple as it was, simple as the answer was. Emmett took his lack of reply for a no. "If you do this, you'll not see her the same way again. You will always associate her with your own struggles," he said, and Jasper almost gaped at his bear of a brother, for the first time saying something...intelligent, and totally understandable.

"Fine," he grumbled, and Emmett relaxed visibly. "Few," he breathed, and fixed a faintly evil smile in place.

"50$ he soils himself," he wagered, fixing himself in an attack stance mimicking Jasper's. His own lips turned up in a smirk. "100$, and your on."


	10. Chapter 10

The familiar itching vanished abruptly, and Alenia stood facing the window with very little discomfort, having not even opened the blinds to find out what was going on out there. She was content with the intuitive reading that nothing was out there, nothing to harm her. It seemed have been gone with the rustling of the bushes below her own room, and that may well have been the wind...

Jasper smiled a small wicked smile as he witnessed the weedy black figure race away, keeping as hidden as his terrified consciousness would permit. From his spot on the branch, he saw as he disappeared from sight, his offending scent fading fast. Emmett hopped up beside him, grinning proudly. "I guess you owe me 100$," he said darkly, and Jasper didn't look round to him to tell him they hadn't actually bet against one another. Jasper knew what would happen to the scared human. Still, he was in no mood to argue, and shook his head lightly. "We should get going," he murmured, and resisted a final look at the house in which she perhaps slept. She wasn't anxious, that was for sure. All he felt from her was contentment, comfort and a touch of nerves.

In a way, he hoped she awake. In another, he prayed that she was sleeping. He was so close to her now, he caught her scent with each light breeze. It was too bittersweet to be so near, and yet not able to talk to her at the moment.

When they arrived home, they were first greeted by Edward, his eyes sparkling with weariness. "What did you do," he sighed as he caught Emmett's expression, matching a child when he was pulling an ingenious prank. Concealed glee. "Jas is the story teller," he motioned, but Jasper stood still, eyeing his brother with a raised brow, his hands still in his pockets. He gave a light smirk. "You're dying to tell it," he said, not missing the light in the bear's eyes. He may as well have been jumping up and down clapping.

"So, Jas went first, he snuck up behind, and whispered 'traitor' in his ear, and he turned and he was gone. You should have seen his face," he cried, retelling the story to an ashamed Carlisle, disapproving Esme, an unreadable Bella and amused Edward, while Rose chose to hunt after she heard it second, after Ed. "then I was there, and I whispered, 'evil', and that was it. He was off!" He collapsed back on to the sofa in mock exhaustion, resting his arms along the back. "Shoulda been there," he sighed, wiping a non existent tear from his humoured eye.

"Emmett, that was extremely careless," Carlisle warned, looking at him like a concerned parent. "Jasper, I never considered you so impressionable."

Jasper bowed his head silently, sat on his couch in his room staring at a history book. He was, however, eaves dropping. For a vampire, it was very difficult not to in a house, even one of this size, and the disappointment emanating from his father was suffocating, even as he sat in the living room.

Someone laughed lightly, and Bella's voice came into the discussion. "I think he deserved a little spooking," she reasoned, and Jasper sensed her husbands agreement. "I would have done the same," he added, dark amusement in his tone.

"Edward, Bella, surely you can understand the complications that could have arisen if-"

"If what, Carlisle?"

Carlisle inclined his head slightly, knowing his eldest was stood on the stair case behind him. His profile was solemn.

"Son, I did not mean to imply that-"

"That I have no control?" Jasper finished, words whispered rather than spat. Because that's how these confrontations go. Some one spits, snaps, followed by a silence that goes on too long to break. It gains volume the longer it is left unshattered.

But instead of storming off, he composed his scowl, the hurt that he knew was filling his eyes pinched away, and joined the family on the sofas.

"Carlisle, Esme, I know I have been the one in the family you feel you have to...constrain, because of my past," he began, taking a fleeting glance at his newest sister regretfully. "But trust me when I say that, I have not had human blood in over 50 years, and it's to remain that way. I may not have felt so confident about that reality before, but I've worked on it. Now, I am cured."

He scanned the faces around him slowly, some were pride, some were surprise, some still held a trace of doubt. But the resolve to that was clear. He would just prove it too them.

Silently, he stood and exited the room, humming as it was with strained emotion...

"How did you sleep?"

"Like the dead," Alenia joked, climbing into the passenger side as though it were routine. Jasper quickly followed, his hands on the wheel moments after closing her door. She was used to his speed now, having known him for rather a few days now, but sometimes it still caught her off guard.

They drove in silence for a few minutes, contentedly and comfortably as they mimed to the music on the radio. They entered the familiar road, mountains and trees spreading out either side, concealing them both from the world for a tiny while, when a sickly feeling seemed to quench in her stomach. Almost at the same moment, Jasper groaned lightly, and Alenia turned to find a small but visible scowl on his handsome face. "Jasper?"

The Porsche slammed to a halt, throwing them both forward, and she was too alarmed to yelp. Quietly, he switched off the radio, and motioned for her to stay in the car.

"Why?" She whispered, but Jasper was searching outside from his seat. "Stay with me," he said, and both climbed out of the car with caution. He stayed jammed to her side, slightly in front, leading the way to the opening in the trees, the smell become stronger and more pungent, until they halted suddenly. Jasper's body crouched, and lifted a few leaves from a mound, until black fabric could be identified.

"Oh no," she whispered, as Jasper snapped into a stance and pulled her away from _his _body, his almost black eyes staring distantly, neck almost completely torn away.

Arms folded around her hastily, and Jasper pulled her away, her whole frame in his arms securely, and returned her to the car. The image wouldn't leave her mind, each time she blinked she would see it.


	11. Chapter 11

Jasper kept his expression unreadable, cold as ice, still as marble, as Alenia was held in his arms, unyielding, she not resisting. She herself felt too numb for feel shock. His face was her sight, but the fact that it was still with death had yet to sink in.

_was he murdered? By who, or what? Why?_

She remembered his neck, dried blood staining the crisp leaves surrounding, and assured herself it was an animal attack. Vicious, but animal. She wished she would stop feeling so uneasy.

"Are you ok?" Jasper whispered, low and velvet voice constrained. Alenia had been too caught up with what was going on in her mind to know she was sniffling, her tears staining light blue shirt. She nodded her head against him, and his hand stroked her hair gently, touching her cheek every so often. She relished she sensation, her stomach fluttering, her mind swimming, and she itched her face up to look at him. She watched his golden eyes, solid becoming liquid, softening as they gazed into her own.

She had discovered only a handful of things about Jasper this week, as he had about her. He loved history, she loved mythology. While she was often deemed as cold and sarcastic, he was often stoic and unemotional. In many ways they shared something, including this moment. And both discovered something else about themselves. They were in love with the other, the mysteries capturing their minds as well as their soul captured the heart.

"Sorry," he murmured, his lips barely making a sound as he stared, and her own eyes, naked with emotion, replaced their shield. He looked away, followed by her pulling away, and both sat back in their seats, the incident with the body having been forgotten to a new musing. A new discovery that wasn't quite unknown. She had known this man would end up filling each corner of her mind.

Jasper cleared his throat and placed his foot on the peddle, turning the car around in a 180, heading back the way they had come.

"School?" the girl laughed, and he shook his head hastily. "There'll be no point, we won't be able to focus," he stated, his eyes pointedly staring ahead, his profile bowed slightly. Alenia's heart fluttered, but then she found the other meaning to his words.

_he means the body._

_"Ok, _I guess I could get some studying done," she thought, and caught his eyes on her in minimal disappointment. "Or we could do something," she added, feeling daring again. She shrugged teasingly, and he scowled playfully. "If you don't wanna," he began, voice trailing off indifferently, but she heard the smile in his words. "Eh, not bothered," she replied, and giggled at his irritated expression. She had beaten him.

"Of course, what's the plan cowboy?"

He grinned proudly at the nickname, and hummed in thought. "Well, what say you to...What is your favourite movie?"

She stared at him, and frowned questioningly. "The line is, 'what is your favourite scary movie'," she laughed, and he turned to look at her. "Movie geek," she admitted, and he chuckled.

"The Ghost and Mrs Muir," she finally revealed, and didn't miss Jasper's eyes widen slightly. "Nice," he said, and she heard something of surprise approval in his voice for her classic choice.

"You?"

"Im more of a book guy, but I think Clint Eastwood's a great actor," he explained, and Alenia sensed an inside joke. "The nickname 'cowboy' is well founded then," she said, and he chuckled.

They continued to ask eachother questions for the next few minutes, favourite books, music, hobbies etc, laughing and relating to the others' choices, when the tone seemed to go quiet.

"Do you think it _was_ an animal attack?"

Jasper turned to her, her steady voice hanging in the air between them. That she could be so calm surprised him somewhat.

"What else could it be?" He lied, and the desire to tell her the whole truth began to burn. She would find out some day, she had to, as his mate. He understood that now.

She shook her head, her golden red curls whisping around her shoulders, her eyes far in question. "Something feels off, that's all," she replied, shaking away her thoughts of monsters and demons.

Within moments, they halted outside a building, old but not unkempt. Behind the small fore-structure, a larger building was attached to it, and a few posters were held in class cases at the front. She couldn't quite make them out from this distance, but the design of them looked classic. Romantic heroes and their love interests caught in a passionate embrace, one or two epic, and she n knew where they were. Jasper caught her expression and smiled.

"Its been here for years, I think I'm the only one who keeps this place going," he chuckled, and Alenia's heart skipped. "Not anymore," she said as she looked back to the old cinema, and Jasper was already at her door, ready to open it.

"You're a strange old man," she joked, once again surprised at his speed. She would be lying if she hadn't been beginning to wonder. "Hey, I resent that," he said, and she shook her head to correct herself. "Strange _young _man, then."

They paused outside the posters, reading over each one. 'Jane Eyre', another of her favourite books and films, of which Jasper approved, began in 1 hour.

"What shall we do in the mean time?"

A sudden thought, nagging for some time, hit them both simultaneously, and their eyes connected slowly.

"We need to go to the police."


	12. Chapter 12

The bispecticalled young man watched the pair as they explained what had happened, at first thinking it to be some sort of prank. Yes, they were concerned and alarmed by the occurrence, but also calm. Surprisingly calm.

"What's on, Seymour?" An elder, broader man asked, appearing from the office with an unlit cigarette between his lips. He slapped the younger officer on the shoulder in greeting, but the man visibly felt uncomfortable. "We have a reporting of an animal attack fatality 5 miles out," he explained with his weak voice, and the older officer sighed in exhaustion. "Not another one, name?"

"Rowan, was it? Yeah, Rowan Dawlings," he said, checking with Jasper for the name. He hadn't bothered to write it down yet.

"Let's get going, then," his colleague sighed exhaustedly, as though he were ordered to do chores rather than check out a body.

"Does this happen a lot?" Alenia asked uncertainly. She and Jasper were back in the car, the officers Seymour and Bolston, as they had discovered upon brief introduction, following in the cruiser behind.

"There are a lot of large animals here in Forks," he explained, and Alenia shifted uneasily. While Rowan was a creep, he didn't deserve to go that way. She felt nauseated at the very thought, the guy who had leered at her like nobody's business suddenly gone. She thought of his family, the reaction his passing would have on a small, seemingly sleepy town such as this.

They turned into the lane, and stopped at the very spot they had moments before first discovering the body. Alenia argued against Jasper silently and climbed from the car.

"What made you kids stop?" Bolston inquired, Seymour close behind, speculative eyes on the pair. Alenia spoke first, a bold choice.

"You know when you get a strange feeling, like intuition?"

Seymour, young and inexperienced, frowned at her like she were crazy, but Bolston on the other hand nodded, understanding in his wrinkled face. "You get to relying on it in our work," he mused, before stretching his back and following the pair to the small opening.

"There was a smell," Jasper began, removing the leaves he had replaced just 30 minutes before. Alenia looked away in repulsiveness as his face was unveiled, pale grey and staring ahead. A moment later, Seymour bolted ahead to throw up.

"New to the job," Bolston explained impatiently, over the sounds of his friend's violent lurches. "I'll call the ambulance to come and take it away, its clear what happened. The Dawlings, nice couple," he sighed sadly, pulling out a cell and dialling a number. Jasper motioned Alenia away quietly, passing a heaving Seymour, one hand supporting his weight against a tree.

"Hey kids? Would you mind holding on a few minutes? Just precaution," Bolston called, and the couple waited inside the car, the movie sadly rescheduled.

...

Alenia lay on her bed that night, her mind raking over the details of the eventful day, trying to place where her unease began. She found that it started just before Jasper stopped the car, when she felt something was eerily very wrong.

A tap at her window broke her thoughts, but it was light enough to be nothing but a tree branch. She began to return to her musings, when again, though slightly louder, another tap.

Just the wind, she told herself, but her breath became shallow and caught.

Another tap, hard enough the hear the slight scrape against the glass.

She climbed out beneath her covers, pulse steadily increasing, and made her way to the window. Deja vu came over her, the same situation only a few nights previous, as she inched open the curtains.

Blackness greeted her, but her eyes caught a slight movement, just to her right, in one of the trees.

He's dead, she chanted to herself, but the familiar itch returned to her arms, the gooseflesh reappearing.

"He-ello?"

A rustle, followed by a tiny, mechanic laugh. She imagined his voice, his face, grinning insanely.

"You should know not to say that," a whisper taunted, out from among the branches, and her breathing hitched. Her head was spinning.

"Y-your-re...d-dead," she said as she trembled all over.

A force smashed through, and the first things she saw were his clenched, glistening teeth, followed by his blood red eyes. The wind was knocked from her as she slammed against the floor, and Rowan's face contorted with mockery. "Down so easily," teased, and caressed her throat. The look in his eyes however, was not lust.

Hunger.

Vampire, her mind whispered. To her shocked, logical mind, she knew.

...

"It's a poor idea, Jasper," Esme's soft voice advised, but she and Rose were alone in the disagreement. Even Carlisle agreed it was best, after Jasper admitted that he knew she was his mate. Carlisle had been there. They all had, now, so it was only a matter of time before they saw sense.

"Dear, if Jasper is correct about her, I see no reason for her not to know. You and I have been there, as have Edward and Bella, who took it extremely well," he argued, and Bella smiled at the memory in the forest.

"The worst thing that can happen is that she wish not to talk to him again. Of course, that cannot be fulfilled," Carlisle added, looking at his wife with something of a pleading in his eyes. Her own slowly softened with his words.

"I would like to meet-" Esme was cut off by Jasper bolting into a stance.

"Something's wrong," he murmured, and shot out into the night. Edward raced to keep up with the older vampire.

They ran the whole 4 miles that separated the Cullen household from Alenia's, and soon they sensed it. A third vampire.

Jasper's unbeating heart thumped as the house came into view, her window smashed through, the purple curtain flowing through the hole in the breeze. Her voice screamed, and he didn't stop.

...

The weight was suddenly yanked from her body, Rowan staring in angered horror as his limbs were held back. He was, however, resisting the struggle.

At the back of her mind, she sensed another, one that was saving her rather than trying to drain her. Jasper's face came into view behind her eyes, for the thousandth time since the attack began a few seconds ago, and her eyes searched frantically for the light switch. All she could see was the two fighting silhouettes dive from the window, followed by a few grunts and a snap.

All went quiet from the snap.

Racing to the window, her chest beat desperately as she searched the ground signs of life. Out from the trees emerged a figure, one that made her heart race with excitement and nervousness rather than blind panic.

"Jasper," she whispered, as his face was lit by the moon. He looked up to her solemnly.

"You alright?" He asked, and he jumped from the ground and grabbed on to the window sill securely. She flinched and darted back, her eyes wide. But the motion alarmed her, not the man.

Things began piecing together.

"Just doubting my sanity," she commented dryly, and Jasper looked down sadly. "Because to my apparent sanity, I'm not as surprised as I should be."

She motioned for a shocked Jasper to come into the room, and he appeared behind her, his face an unreadable mask. "You haven't had time for it to register," he stated, avoiding eye contact. But as alert as she was, as many times as she repeated the words through her head, she wasn't frightened.

"Jasper," she whispered, and placed a hand on his cheek. His eyes softened slowly, and finally found hers. Even in the darkness, the liquid gold iris's shone with warmth.

"You're an unusual woman, Miss," he answered, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and she felt one place itself on her own lips. "Hypocrite," she replied lovingly.


	13. Chapter 13

Edward paced outside, impatiently waiting for his brother to hurry. He had witnessed his little stunt, and caught her reaction of minute fear. Not towards his, just a involuntary response. He could have gone about it differently of course, but it got the speeches out of the way. He was sure that Bella would have run a mile and bared crosses at him if he went about it that way, however.

...

"I still don't know how you can be so calm about it," Jasper told her thoughtfully, sat in her wicker chair in a weaker, but similar pose of The Thinker. He had been eyeing her in stunned disbelief for a few minutes from that chair, in that pose, correcting himself as though a new position would create a new outlook. She herself was also at a loss for words, and shrugged each time he expressed his surprise. "Perhaps I'm just tired," she excused, and Jasper nodded in understanding. "You should get some rest," he said as he stood from the wicker chair, quite speedily, but she could tell he was controlling it.

"Its Saturday tomorrow," she realised, with some disappointment rather than relief. She yawned promptly, just as Jasper was facing the window. "Where are your family?" He asked, turning to her in question.

"My mother's at work, my father is still in England, and my brother is...sightseeing," Alenia explained, and Jasper frowned in dislike. "He knew you'd be here alone," he realised, and Alenia walked to him next to the window.

"What was that snapping I heard before?"

Jasper's eyes inched to hers slowly, guiltily. "I got an arm."

"What! Just...took it right off?"

He stared at her in confirmation, and the world spun, like she was caught in a whirlwind. The last things she saw were the backs of her own eyelids. The last thing she felt was...or were...arms beneath her back.

...

Blazing lights infiltrated her eyes, blinding and unyielding and ruthless. Blinking, they waited a few seconds before retreating, disappearing into the very corners of her vision, until they were replaced by shapes, out of focus and slightly blurred. She realised she was lying down, and she found that this was not her room. She had never seen it before, but she felt strangely at home anyway.

Propping herself on her elbows, she found her reason behind her odd sense of comfort. The honey blond man sat, his side to her, leaning on his knees with his forearms and watching the apparently fascinating floor. As soon as he saw her move, his eyes flitted to hers.

"You fainted," he murmured regretfully, and Alenia frowned at his words as if they were foreign. She tried to sit up straighter, but her head felt groggy, and a hand placed itself on her back before she fell back down.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice crackled and uneven from lack of use. Jasper's sad eyes found hers. "My house," he told her, and watched her as she scanned his bedroom, open and light grey and every available wall covered with books. Besides the couch, the bookshelves, a tv and a wardrobe, the room was sparse. While still holding some of Jasper's character, it lacked his charisma, his personality.

"Can you remember what happened?"

Alenia looked back to his face, and saw a distant hope in his eyes that she wouldn't. She nodded slowly. "Very much so," she added, but no bad feeling came from her voice.

"Why have I woken up in your room?"

"I thought it best to bring you here considering you were alone in the house, Rowan could have returned," he explained, taking his hand from her back when he was sure she could support herself.

"Couldn't you have just stayed in the room with me?"

He looked at her, a sense of coyness in his topaz eyes. "I am a gentleman, Miss Damson, that would have been indecent."

She laughed at his comment, and his seriousness, and his exaggerated Texan accent that she so adored. Her cheeks were on fire. With that an image came to her, just a flash, dimly coloured but clear. Like an after image with the closing of the eyes. Jasper, on a large brown horse, a military uniform wasn't seen in anywhere but museums these days, brand new. His skin was more tan, and his eyes...the picture was clear enough to see a pair of bright green irises instead of golden, mature and serious beneath his hat.

"Alenia?"

She snapped back after the image came to her, and felt her eyebrows relax from the frown. Jasper was staring at her in concern.

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

...

The detached way her eyes stayed on him, but not quite seeing what was physically there, reminded him of someone else. Someone who made him feel nothing but cold indifference.

"Imagination going wild," she giggled nervously, but he knew. He believed, at least. That look, it was spontaneous, like a light flicking off, and on again in an instant.

"You sure?" She nodded in certainty.


	14. Chapter 14

The Cullen's waited anxiously for their guest to make her appearance, two of whom had never seen her before. Esme was almost bouncing on her toes with anticipation, happy that Jasper finally had a glint in his eyes resembling happiness. Contentment. While she loved all her children as her own equally, that particular child deserved happiness perhaps the most. Raised in blood and war was never the best start, and though she never experienced that extent of misery, she imagined that she could never wish to imagine it.

Edward broke the silence building up gradually, as talks turned into whispers, whispered turning into looks. "She's anxious, and wishes to make a good first impression," he observed, amusement in his eyes as he recalled the first time his wife had met his family. Bella was concerned about similar things.

While he stayed tuned into her mind for more information, he retained an image that confused him somewhat. While he had never seen a picture of his brother in his early days as a first born, he recognized him in this thought.

Jasper, during his days in the Cavalry. Before he was turned. Even the eyes were the shade of green Jasper had described. He had known this man for more than 50 years, and this newcomer hadn't even known he was a vampire until tonight. And yet she somehow knew he was of the military.

Or did she know?

"I'm sure you heard, she wishes to come back tonight to meet you," Jasper's voice informed, but Edward hadn't even realized he had appeared. He was at the middle step, looking at them each individually. "Is that ok?"

"Oh of course dear, inform the human she is welcome any time," Esme gushed gracefully, her face innocent as she referred to Alenia as 'human'. But when Esme used that term, it was in admiration or respect, with only a small hint of envy.

"Jasper?"

Jasper turned to Edward's voice, and was greeted by the man face to face. "Yes?"

"I wish to talk to you when she is gone," he requested, and his eyes seemed distant. He was forcing his emotions away, or at least concealing them the best he could.

"Don't ask why yet, just...i'll be outside her house," he told him, and left Jasper to disappear back upstairs.

...

"They say youre welcome anytime," Jasper informed the girl, who was searching through his masses of novels. Now that she was more awake, her self consciousness was poking it's unkindly head, and while she didn't exactly mind Jasper seeing her like this, she wished to make the best impression she could.

"Have you read _all _of these?"

She heard his light chuckle from the other side of the room, and felt his breath on her hair the next instant. "Some more than once," he said from behind, and she jolted slightly at his voice. "You really constrained yourself didn't you, before?"

She was answered by a small, loud silence, and she turned to face him. His eyes were bowed away from hers, but switched to hers again. "I tried to, sort of, gradually ease you into the idea, so it wouldn't seem like a shock. You would barely notice," he explained, but she knew from his eyes that he had known it hadn't worked. "I always felt your surprise and confusion." He breathed a short laugh.

"You..._felt _it?"

"Yeah, ...I'm an empath," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"You sense emotions?"

He nodded. He looked down to her arms suddenly, wrapped around her small waist. "I'm sorry its so cold, we have no need for heating."

"It's ok, I'm always cold," she reasoned, knowing that he sensed her truth. He smiled, his usual half smile she had missed.

"I should get you back, you want to be fully alert in a house full of blood suckers," he joked, earning a glare from her. "Don't push it, or i'll take all your books and rearrange them. By color," she threatened darkly, having established a strict organisational system among the shelves. Jasper glowered at her. "Too cruel," he murmured, but she saw an evil, mischevious grin spread slowly on his lips as his arms grabbed her too his chest at lightening speed.

...

"I'll pick you up at 6, then?"

Alenia nodded, alert as the run breathed new life into her, and she was still seeping with exhilaration. "Until then," she bid, and his body fell from the window frame and he landed with feline grace, disappearing from sight.

...

_So?_

Edward was concealed in the trees a small way from the mansion, just away enough to remain unheard. He wasn't a mind reader like his sibling, but Jasper could sense his thoughtfulness, his unease. The way he stood, slightly turned to an angle, eyes searching.

"Two things actually," he said, reluctantly. Jasper waited.

"Something's up with Alenia...I think she had some sort of...gift."

He took Jasper's silence as a sign to elaborate, but he maintained his guard over his mind. His eyes were distant, but he was forever listening.

"I read her mind, and there was an... lets say an image," he explained. Jasper turned his head up slightly, but his eyes didn't find Edward's matching golden ones. "When?"

"You were both in the room, not long before you came down stairs."

Edward thought his question was strange. He expected denial from Jasper, or dismissal. But asking when, it was like he was taking his belief seriously.

"The image, it was you...You've never told her...about your past, have you?" The question was rhetorical. Only a couple of hours previous he was discussing the possibility of revealing his nature to her, so there was no possible way for her to find out. He confirmed this with a shake of the head, curt and puzzled.

"It was you, as a human. During your days as a Major. From the uniform down to the color of your eyes-"

"She may have made the image up with my accent and..the way I stand, you always say you can tell my past from my..." he trailed off. "Eyes?"

"Vivid green. The exact color you described."

The man looked lost. And he was. He knew he was grasping for an explanation, but he saw the look in her eyes at that moment, who it reminded him of. Finally he began to entertain the notion.

"She reminded me of Alice for a second," he recalled, noticing the small wince Edward gave at her name. No one had said it for a long time. "The way she looked during her visions."

"Maybe its possible...but shes human?"

"You couldn't read Bella's mind before, and that bled into her gift."

Edward thought it over for a short while. "Perhaps."

Suddenly he began to shift, and Jasper noticed a new discomfort that had settled since he mentioned that name.

"There were two things," Jasper reminded him. He watched his brother, uncomfortably flitting his eyes over a small area, his lips upturned slightly in something akin to disgust. It reminded him of the weeks after the incident with her. Whenever her name was mentioned, he grimaced. Edward, as her closest and eldest sibling, was more disappointed in her than anyone else. The hurt, evidently, still remained.

"Its...her," he forced. "Since she did what she did, she's been blocking me. But I've always sensed her in the house. Until last night, I didn't notice until about 3 am, but the low buzzing I always got from her was gone."

_What are you insinuating__?_

Edward shook his head in thought, confusion. "I don't know, but Carlisle's been blocking me more than usual since Wednesday. And his...countenance. It seems strained. He's the only one who sees her, And I didn't see Carlisle go to see her once tonight" he reasoned, and Jasper still had no idea what he was going on about. "Ed, just say what you have to say."

"Jasper, I can't sense her in the house. "

"And I haven't sensed emotion from her for months, people just turn off eventually. And I didn't see Carlisle go to see her once tonight."

Edward huffed derisively. "We need to talk to Carlisle."


	15. Chapter 15

3 am...

The house was radiating its usual level of noise; silent movements, discrete speech, hidden thoughts. But to jasper, he picked on something else, something that didn't quite fit. Carlisle was...distressed. He knew Carlisle's feed like he knew them all; Carlisle and Bella were the calmest, so he usually got a slow breeze of energy from them. Concern was flowing around him like pollen.

"Carlisle?"

The blond man looked up from his seat in the office. Work was placed before him, he was blaring through it as usual. But he never, ever worked at night. He always had it done at work.

His two son's stepped into the room, one anxious, one confused. Jasper still didn't see a pattern between the anomalous behaviour.

"How is...she?"

Carlisle sat forward a little, his elbows resting on the arms tightening. Jasper saw the small way his eyes widened, just for a millisecond.

"That question is long over due, Edward, but she's fine. Why do you wait until now to ask?"

"It's just...I haven't been able to sense her," he sheepishly explained, and even Jasper could tell he was already doubting his reasons for this intrusion. His concerns, however, were still in place.

"She's always been exceptional at blocking you, son, relax."

Jasper detected the hint of discomfort. But Carlisle was the master of control. He had to be.

"Can we see her?"

Edward's eyes were wide and stunned as he looked at his wife, stood behind in the doorway. Her features etched with uncharacteristic concern, open and clear. She missed her sister as though she were simply away on vacation. She never saw her as the monster she had become.

Carlisle was silent for a few moments, and Jasper couldn't reach him. His eyes were searching, thoughtful.

"Of course, Bella," he breathed, a gracious smile in place. One he used when trying to resolve a problem with simple relaxation. He stood and led the three downstairs, and Jasper was becoming more and more confused. He thought they were going to see her? Bella's fear was growing, and Jasper knew why in an instant.

She was housed below...not in one of the upstairs rooms like they had thought.

But the house was made of windows!

"You must understand, I couldn't keep her up there. The first day she escaped through the window. A vampire with her instability simply cannot control themselves."

"But...maybe if she had visitors-"

"Bella...Alice isn't the person she was. If you saw her the first few days like I refused you to, it would have broken your heart. You wouldn't have returned, and you would have guilt for not doing so. Am I right?"

the brunette ahead nodded in small agreement, and they stopped before a door at the end of hallway, dimly light, an oaky smell radiating in the air. Carlisle...I still can't he-"

"Edward," Bella whispered, shushing him to a silence.

Carlisle crept the door open cautiously, and Jasper was half expecting his ex to pelt at them in full speed, claws and black eyes and rags for clothes. While it was a gross exaggeration, it was how he had last seen her. Full of rage. Full oi hunger. Blazing with hatred for all the world contained. He decided then that this was indeed the best place for her.

The huge room was silent. Eerily so. It also made Jasper wonder how far down they were.

"She's not here," Edward suddenly whispered. Suddenly, his concern made sense.

"Alice," Bella called, her voice barely above normal talking level, and her face fell with no reply. With a quick scan of the room, there didn't look to be many places to hide.

Boldly, Jasper inched in ahead of the others, and entered the room somewhat apprehensively. He continued on with more speed, and soon he had gone through the entire place. No where to be found.

"Carlisle," he breathed, but the doctor's face housed no emotion. Only a shell. Golden eyes, empty.

"Search the premises."

...

6am...

"Nothing," Edward confirmed, matching everybody else's answers. they had each checked the entire house, the woods and the town. Not a trace of her could be found. Not even a scent.

"Carlisle, are you going to tell us what happened?"

Rose had been informed along with Emmett, on the promise they not tell Esme. She would only panic for her troubled daughter.

"You didnt see her last night," Edward observed, confidently sharing his findings now that his speculation was correct. Alice had escaped, somehow, and vanished without a trace.

Carlisle face had not yet gained its composure back, and replacing his cool eyes was pure guilt.

"Wednesday she simply told me not to bother coming down to check on her, and I respected her wishes."

"She's not just a normal patient, Carlisle; she's a killer! Insane! For something, someone like her, you ignore her wishes."

Bella glared at Emmett for his outburst, but knew some truth in his brash words.

"Emmett that 'something' is your sister."

He snorted sarcastically, hand resting on the back of the sofa. "No one does that to a man and stays my sister."

"Emmett-"

"Carlisle, I agree. All the time she berated Jas for his self control, and she...she...," Rose cried, her soft voice breaking towards the end.

The room fell into an awkward silence, electric with emotions. But Jasper wasn't concentrating on them. He only had one worry, and this family meeting was delaying him.

"I need to go," he announced quietly, but a hand stopped him in his tracks.

"We need to find her," Edward urged in a bitter voice, but Jasper simply stared at him.

"She's unprotected, defenceless against her. I need to be there-"

"We catch her, you go."

Jasper was angry. Furious. If this man wasn't his brother, he would have snapped his arm out of the way there and then. He and difficulty controlling that urge now.

"Remember when Victoria was on the loose, Edward?"

A jolt went through his hand, connected to the shirt Jasper was wearing.

"All you wanted to do was keep me safe."

Jasper gave him no time to argue, he simply darted and ran.


	16. Chapter 16

Alenia opened her eyes to the darkness of dreaming, and observed that she felt nothing. Stripped of all sensation.

The sand, she noticed as she looked down, had no effect on the skin on her feet, no gritting beneath her toes. The air was neither cool nor warm, but she knew it should be.

How she could explain it, she didn't know. But somewhere in her mind she recognize the place. As much as she recognized Jasper stood a few feet away from her.

_Jasper?_

His large brown horse waited patiently for its master as he approached, slowly, removing his hat in a gentleman-like manner. His eyes were focused...not quite on her. They could not see her.

"_jasper?" _

Her voice didn't make a sound. Not physically.

"_JASPER!"_

Nothing. all she heard was the clear sound bounce in her head.

"Lovely," a voice observed behind her. High and feminine, clear and inhuman. Instinctively, Alenia stepped aside for Jasper to pass, holding his hat close to his broad chest. She followed him with her eyes, turning as he gained on the target.

Her eyes fell on 3 women. She instantly felt intimidated.

Jasper bowed courteously, without saying a word. The brunette in the middle smiled hungrily.

"Change him," she ordered the blond beside her, and she leaned closer to the woman. "I wont be able to stop once I've started," she whispered, not taking her eyes away once. The brunette shook her head, the savage, seductive smile still playing on her lips.

"Fine."

Jasper was frozen in place as she approached, his eyes wide and wondering as she closed the gap, until their faces were only centimeters apart. Jealous rage boiled in Alenia, but shouting was no use.

Suddenly the female snapped at his neck, and Jasper just stood.

Pain filled her like blazing fire, and she collapsed to the floor, just as he did, blood running from his throat generously. She grasped at her own in instinct, but felt nothing.

Her last image was of his lifeless body on the floor, unblinking eyes frozen wide in terror. Chest unmoving, skin white, while 3 dress hems flitted in the desert breeze...

...

Jasper stopped just outside the house, having spotted a familiar blue car in the drive way up front. At least she was no longer alone.

He jumped up to the window frame, the breeze bellowing through the curtains lightly through the window. She was safe, however. He would be able to tell when she was in trouble.

He found her laying in her bed, sleeping calmly, but he didn't enter. He merely watched for a couple of seconds, as long as he would allow himself, before dropping back down soundlessly.

An ear splitting scream crashed through his ears.

Instantly he shot back up, into the room, and found her, arched back and her hand grasping at her throat while the other reached ahead.

"_Stop," _she gasped. "_Come back."_

Footsteps rushed to the door and bounded through, enough time for Jasper to disappear back out the window, and heard Scott, her brother, speaking.

"Ni! Ni wake up!"

A few silent seconds, and he heard her scared voice crying.

"Its ok," Scott assured her in a whisper, and seemed to be comforting her for a few minutes.

"What was the dream now?"

She sniffled gently, and actually giggled a frightened, self conscious giggle. "Another one of my death dreams," she told him, but Jasper could tell her lie.

"Are you ok, now?"

"Hmm...sorry i woke you."

A few moments later he heard her door swing shut, and her breathing evened out.

Silently, he lifted himself back up to the window to view the room, and found her sat up in bed, eyes wide and wondering.

"Death dreams?"

She turned her heard to look at him in a jolt, and smiled a shaky smile. Eyes began to water.

"Thank god," she whispered, and climbed from her bed to beckon him in.

Once in, she hugged her arms around him unashamedly, and he felt her smiling into his chest as his own wrapped around her small frame. "What's this for?" he laughed, but he was worried. His own fear mixed with her own, flowing freely from her.

"Bad dream," she confessed, "terrible," she elaborated. His hand stroked her hair gently.

"Tell me about it," he requested as he sat her on the bed, joining her nervously. But her upset was his main concern.

...

She explained it all to him. Every detail. Hopefully he didn't think her strange. After all, he was an apparent mythical creature. The exact creature she _should _associate with nightmares.

She watched his eyebrows fall, rise, and crumple as she recounted her dream, every sensation, every word. And he never questioned her once. Yet, he grew more and more confused. She felt it, and witnessed it grow in his amber eyes.

"And you were there, dead, those three women standing around you...doing nothing."

She released a breath she seemed to be holding, despite talking for quite a few minutes. She waited for him to say something. And waited.

Finally she asked, "Are you ok?"

...

He wasn't. Or he was, he wasn't quite sure. What she had just recounted to him were the details surrounding his change, recalling them as if they happened a few moments previous. More clearly and accurately than he could remember.

He could deduce some theories, but only one sounded right. Not plausible, but one that seemed to describe it most.

If she were a vampire, this would be her gift. She saw people's pasts, he just didn't know how far back or how recent. Or how it worked. It seemed she got a short glimpse on contact, and an episode like some TV show in dream form. He would need a test subject, he was just too scared what she would see with one touch.

"Did this happen before?"

She thought for a few moments, and spoke. "I think so. Ive never seen a death, I may have just had dreams about pasts. Marriages, births, those sorts of things. Somethings are so boring theyve been lost. But I never really noticed it until tonight. Never really knew."

"Do you think finding out about us may have something to do with it? Knowing things like that are possible?"

She nodded, like she had already discovered that. Seconds later she leaned on his arm.

"I felt it," she whispered, and he heard her sniff. He placed her arm around her, and kissed her forehead.

"Are you free today?"

She nodded slowly in his arm. "Why?"

"We may need to discuss this with my father," he observed, and she agreed.


	17. Chapter 17

Jasper had been in many a situation of awkwardness, from Emmett's openness over his and Rose's _relations, _to the first time he saw Bella after he tried to kill her all that time ago.

But each of those rested in the shadow of being sat at the breakfast table, Scotty watching him like a vulture, just waiting for him to do something wrong. By the look in his eyes, just breathing would be counted as offensive and disrespectful. Thankfully...

"So, where'd you get the money to pay for a car like that?"

"Scott Damson!"

"I'm sorry, Mom but its weird!"

Jasper's eyes switched between the woman in the kitchen, making herself breakfast and the boy opposite him. During the entire exchange, Scott's embarrassment grew with his anger, as steadily as his masculinity depleted.

"Its ok, my father is a doctor so he treats us now and again. It was a little extravagant, I guess," he laughed awkwardly, and prayed for Alenia to save him.

...

She checked her appearance several times before actually forcing herself from her room. Re-brushed her hair that could never be tamed, straightened her already tidy dress, and other altercations couldn't steady her nerves. She was never good handling her nerves, and this was over meeting parents.

Check, meeting vampire parents of vampire not-boyfriend concerning visions of people's _past _deaths.

Too, too too complicated for 10 am of a Saturday morning.

Alenia flitted down the stairs and entered the dining area to join Jasper, who may as well have had a spot light over his head and a blind fold. Scotty was in his elder brother come interrogative agent act. Without saying a single word.

Jasper's looked at her with pure gratitude, and stood slowly.

"Thank you for the offer of breakfast, Mrs Damson," he said courteously, and motioned Alenia from the house in seconds, as fast as humanly possible.

"He doesn't like male associates of yours, does he?"

The girl laughed, and blushed at the implications. "Always the same."

Jasper grinned and looked ahead calmly, fingers brushing against the wheel. "There's something-"

The car halted with a screech, throwing Alenia forward.

"Jas!"

Jasper was braced back, his arms tensed on the wheel, but his eyes were simmering. "Be right back."

...

If he saw what he thought he saw, he wouldn't hesitate to kill.

In front of the car, ahead of the hood, he searched from the spot for the familiar brunette head, something he saw in a glimpse behind one of the trees. He couldn't smell it, but instinct was saying otherwise.

"Jas?"

He barely heard the car door open and close, but the girl next to him was staring at him and scanning the area, looking for whatever he was looking for.

"Vampire," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, and felt her fear spike up an instant before concealing it.

"I...I can sense it...i think."

Jasper frowned and turned to her, and observed her hands massaging her forearms where goosebumps were raised.

"I can always tell when i'm being watched...in a bad way. Like when I thought Rowan was outside my house, and when he actually was..."

Jasper listened intently, and risked a question.

"I can't sense anything...you do?"

She nodded firmly.

He walked back to the car and opened the door, giving one last look of the area before entiring his side. "Strange human," he commented, and her breathy laughter sounded...

Edward greeted the pair at the door before they left the car, a forced smile on his slightly Roman face.

"Carlisle's inside, he's looking forward to meeting you," he told her, and she nodded her appreciation. "Anything?"

Edward turned to his brother next to her, and shook his head slightly, but Alenia caught it.

"Whats going on?" She asked, and they exchanged a look. It was Edward who spoke.

"Our sister has gone missing," he stated, and Alenia fell confused. "One you haven't met," he assured, and Alenia felt relieved. The other's were her friends, and, as terrible as it sounded, a vampire couldn't really be in much danger.

"Carlisle," Edward breathed, and Alenia turned to see the blond man she had never seen before. Like the other's, he was pale and had those brilliant gold eyes, his unearthly handsomeness only radiated more by his gracious smile.

"Alenia, honored to meet you. I feel I already know you since Jasper has told us so much," he laughed, and shook her hand with his cold one.

She felt expectant eyes on her, and, just as with Jasper, an image flitted by her eyes. The man, dressed in clothing much, much older than Jasper's. She would say...more than four hundred years. He was stood before a tiny church-like building, one you would only find in her home land.

"Lovely to meet you, too," she replied with a smile, suddenly calmer and feeling more relaxed.

Carlisle looked up to Edward, who had just cleared his throat. "Yes Edward?"

"She knows you're English," he said, a smile in his voice. Alenia glimpsed up to Jasper beside her, staring at her in stunned silence.

Carlisle eyed her with non-invasive curiosity. "Interesting," he murmured, and his smile widened. "My wife is dying to meet you, Alenia, come."

They followed him up to the kitchen upstairs, and found the rest of the family waiting. Alenia smiled in greeting to Emmett, Rose and Bella, and her eyes fell on a kind looking, slightly older woman stood behind the counter. Her eyes were beaming with excitement. "My dear, so nice to meet you finally," she cried as she rushed forward in a blur, and hugged her with sleeved arms. Alenia was thankful, she couldn't take another vision.

"You too," she laughed and hugged back awkwardly. Once it was all over, silence fell. Esme, however, was beaming at her hair. "You could pass as one of us!" she laughed sweetly, and Alenia caught a few nods.

"Thankyou," she giggled happily, and Carlisle intercepted. "Jasper mentions that you wish to discuss something with me?"

Jasper came closer to her side, and began. "In private."

The others exchanged looks, and began speaking among themselves. "Esme," they called, "We're ready for a hunt. Coming?"

With no other word and only a smile goodbye from the mother, the room was emptied in a second, and the girl and the three Cullen's were alone. "Now then," Carlisle started, as they made their way to the living area attached to the kitchen, "tell me what's been happening."

He seemed so much like a doctor, it was impossible to perceive him as a hunter. This was someone who was supposed to kill, not save.

"Erm, I'm not sure, I just get visions."

"What kind of visions?"

"I..."

"Of the past. She explained to me everything around my change as clearly as I could-"

"And she saw you before your change, and knew you were from England," Edward interjected. Carlisle looked thoughtful, and somewhat puzzled. His comparatively dark eyebrows were furrowed slightly.

"I guess in your time I would be considered a witch," she laughed, and he smiled in amusement. "I think in these days you would be too, Alenia; I can't think of any other explanation. Though I cannot say I've ever met one," he mused, scratching his chin gently.

There was a huff behind her by Edward, sat behind.

"Great, we've got Werewolves and Vampire's but never had there been a witch."

Alenia was barely listening, her ears were drumming.

"Alenia?"

She jolted to alertness. "Sorry, just letting it sink in," she breathed.

Carlisle looked upon her thoughtfully, kindly. He switched his eyes to Jasper.

"It makes sense; Edward's mate, Bella, was the only one resistant to mind attacks."

Alenia was confused. "Mate?"

The blond man looked wondering. He looked back to Jasper. "I think that is a discussion for my eldest and yourself."


	18. Chapter 18

The trees blurred past in a fluid motion, the goal of light straight ahead, concealed in the trees. Mouths watered the closer they got, while the small pack waited, ignorant and innocent.

The opening cleared, and Emmett was first behind the huge boulder, preparing himself for the kill.

"Ass," Rose mumbled as she joined him, berated after losing the race. But he didn't laugh in mock pity. He didn't even smile. He was uncharacteristically focused

"Em?"

The bear looked...lost. "I...I can't smell them," he stated simply, his tone wandering and confused. "I can see they're there, and I'm hungry. I just can't smell them," he repeated.

Rose frowned, and suddenly realised her senses, too, seemed off. "This is odd," she mused, and they caught Esme a little out ways in the trees.

"Esme, you alright?" Rose asked, wondering if the woman was experiencing what they were. She too, looked extremely focused. She didn't even reply.

"Screw this," Emmett cursed, and shot at the beasts anyway, followed by an eager Esme. But Rose remained frozen, and her attention was diverted to the trees ahead, where she thought she saw a brown head pop out. But it was gone as quick as it came.

"Rose! What're you doing?!"

She mentally shook herself and adopted her best grimace for the kill, before leading to the area she had just been eyeing to capture an escapee.

...

Jasper closed the door behind him, nervous, dull excitement surging through his body. The girl ahead was already at the centre of the room, brilliant golden hair glowing in the mid-day sun beams. Her face was looking down at her fingers, fidgeting in front of her uneasily. She looked like an angel in that moment, rather than a vampiric human. And this moment he could either keep that angel, or lose her.

Alenia looked up eagerly, and folded her arms stubbornly. Her eyes were resolved. "Mates?"

With that word, she knew what the implications were. Se had read books, romance horrors, in which people found their 'mates', the person they were destined to be with. But whether that actually existed, she had to admit she never had prove. Then again, in the last 24 hours she found out she was some sort of witch among a family of vampires.

Jasper shifted nervously, glued to the spot near the door. "Yes, Carlisle was referring to something called the soulm-"

"Soulmate principle, I know," she interjected. "I just want to know why he brought it up."

Jasper looked up shyly, and began walking toward her. "Because we vampires, or indeed, everyone, has one person we are linked to. But usually it's only us who finds ours, simply because we live longer."

He stopped a few feet away, and placed his hands in his jeans pockets.

"So, why did he mention it?"

Jasper saw in her eyes, she knew.

"You don't need me to tell you," he stated coyly, but it was her who began walking now, minimising the gap between them.

"But I want you to say it, out loud," she requested, her heart hammering away in its cavity. She was so close now, she could practically hear his still one.

Eyes blazing fire gold, eyes straining up to see him through heavy black lashes, and he smiled the smallest smile in the world.

"It's not just because youre my mate that I l-"

"Love you," she interjected again, and blushed at his expression. His smile only grew, one that he only had for her. "Witch," he whispered, barely audible. But she was close enough to hear the breath surrounding each word.

"Precisely," she replied simply, and their hands entwined.

...

A loud bang sounded downstairs, the noise radiating through the house and startling Alenia back into reality.

"What was that?"

Jasper frowned, and took her by the hand and lead her downstairs. They walked into the downstairs living area, where the family were gathered. Confusion or an effort to remain calm on each one.

"What's going on?" Edward asked the three who had just returned from the hunt. On mind seemed to be frantic.

"Something really weird went on," Emmett explained vaguely, and Edward switched his eyes to Rose for a more detailed answer.

"We couldn't smell the prey," she stated simply, but Edward was still confused.

"Did you feed?" Carlisle asked, and each nodded. "The closer we got, however, we couldn't smell them."

"Rose also thought she saw Alice," Esme announced suddenly, and every eye found hers.

"Why didnt you go after her?!"

The blond flinched at Edward, before a spiteful scowl contorted her features. "Because I couldn't smell her, idiot!"

Wordlessly, Edward disappeared, becoming nothing more than a flash leading out the door. Bella went over to Rose and looked at the seething woman kindly. "It's ok, rose, you know he just likes to play hero," she breathed jokingly, but the girl didnt smile. "I know I should have gone after her," she replied, her face falling to a solemn stare. "I couldnt smell her, but instinct told me someone was watching."


	19. Chapter 19

_Come on Alice!_

_ALICE!_

Edward pushed and forced as hard as he could for her mind, hitting branches and full grown trees through lack of concentration. They snapped and clashed with eachother in the air around him, ricotetting off his cold marble skin.

He tried for minutes, countless minutes, running further and further into the forests, for miles, before he thought he caught a flash. An image of a place he couldn't see with his own eyes.

He knew how small the chance was that Alice would allow herself to be captured, that's why he wasnt focussing on his plans. He merely did, without delay, not considering his route. He couldn't get lost.

He stopped when realising he wasnt getting anywhere like this, and paused to listen. His own feet were making too much noise on the twigs and sticks beneath to listen for anyone else's.

But all that sounded was silence, marred by the occasional breeze and swarks of birds overhead.

_Alice..._

_Snap._

Edward snapped his head to the left, to he direction of the noise, slightly behind, and darted. Like Rose said, he couldn't smell it. He just knew he was being watched.

Within seconds, he was catching glimpses of a short haired, tiny figure, racing with the desperate speed from him, none of her former grace shining through.

Soon enough, she began to slow, but her generous speed was faster on par with his, and he was already pushing himself as far as desperately possible. Suddenly she disappeared, and he too, as he followed her through the high branches of the trees towering above.

A nagging worry was continuously being pushed away, but not far enough for him to ignore it.

He heard nothing from her. Not even an effort to block him.

As though her mind were...simply empty.

"Why are you running?!"

No reply. Just the whoosh of her body speeding out of reach.

_No you don't._

_Snap._

__He halted with a sudden jolt, and collided with her in a thunderous clash. Together, they fell through the brittle branches like weighty boulders.

He landed on his feet forcefully, his hand clawed around her arm tightly.

She tried to pull away, but, as confirmed, her strength was in her desperation, not physical. Compared to him, he was a domestic cat to a lion.

"Don't do that again."

The small girl didnt make a sound, and he wondered whether she had heard him at all. She just stared ahead blankly, any light in her eyes he remembered gone out. A shell, nothing more.

"Fine."

...


	20. Chapter 20

The intensity of the room shattered when Jasper broke into a stance, turning his head to look at the door. The fast movement caused Alenia to jolt into life, and suddenly she felt frightened.

"Edward's back," he announced darkly, and grabbed Alenia's hand as, with everyone, she stood too.

They paused in suspense for him to show, but he didn't enter. Silently, Jasper motioned for her to follow him, but stopped as soon as he neared the door frame.

"He has Alice," he murmured for her benefit, and she nodded stiffly. She looked up to his profile, nervous caution on his features.

"It's ok," she whispered, but he shook his head.

It was Edward who spoke then.

"Shes just a shell, I don't even think she's registering her visions," he explained from the other room, and Jasper continued on through the room, switching his hand to her opposite shoulder, pulling her close.

Standing by the doorway, Edward stood tensely, while a small, disheveled figure struggled against his arm around her shoulders. Try as she might, she could not escape.

If it wasn't for the golden eyes and white skin, Alenia would not recognize her as a Cullen. Instead of ivory, it was pasty, with a powdery appearance. Her brown, short hair was matted and dirty with mud, and her clothing was torn and frayed, stained with grass and soil.

Alenia shifted uncomfortably under her murderous gaze, and Carlisle voice startled her.

"She's fed," he observed, and lifted a hand to her chin to check her eyes. "but not for a couple of days."

"She's very weak," Edward informed him, while the girl beneath their conversation just stared.

Straight at her.

Jasper clasped her hand with his free one and pulled her in even closer. "I should get you home," he suggested, but Alenia was too nervous to even move her head in agreement. She felt like prey for the first time among the Cullen's. Edward bought Alice with him out of the way, so the couple could escape safely. As she moved, the other girl's dead eyes followed her. Naked evil blaring from them in silent doses.

...

"I'm sorry," Jasper mumbled as he opened the car door for her, and she stopped midway to frown at him. "Why?"

"Because...we've been careless. With her," he replied ominously, "It looks like she dug her way out."

Alenia tried to think of that small person, the body of a child, tearing through soil like a mole, but it seemed wrong.

"How? She was underground?"

"Yeah, I didn't know. No one did, other than Carlisle. She would have blasted her way out if in a normal room."

Suddenly the image of her digging her way out wasn't so far fetched. Especially with that glare in her bronze orbs when she saw her.

"She seemed to hate me," she said, stroking her goose-fleshed arms. She felt her eyes now, on the back of her head, through the glass panes of the house.

Jasper closed the door as she climbed in, and climbed into the drivers seat. "I need to explain something to you," he began, starting the quiet engine and reversing from the large clearing before the mansion. "None of us are related," he began, and checked Alenia's face for signs of emotion. But, she had already figured that out.

"Carlisle is a lot older than you," she explained, and he sighed to express his surprise. "How do you know what from one image?"

"I just know. I'm quite brilliant," she announced jokingly, and felt his hand squeeze hers as he breathed a short laugh.

"Anyway, the reason she's so...hostile...she's my-"

"Ex?"

He snapped his head to her. "How do you know that?"

He looked down to their interlocked hands then, and she smiled a small smile. "I'll be glad when i get to the end of your story," she admitted.

"You seem to be speeding through it," he observed, and she nodded in thought. "I'm going to have to figure out how it works."

"Maybe you see the past event a person is thinking about while you touch them. Carlisle perhaps was thinking about his home when he heard you," he suggested then, and it seemed the best fit.

"What did you see with Alice and I?"

"I saw you with wedding bands, but I felt a lie," she explained, recalling his feelings of deceit as they stood before the family.

Jasper nodded with a distant look in his eyes. "They expected it of us, and I went through with the pretense. We didn't marry... I thought the sense of belonging was from her, but I was never happy. It was because I was with another vampire who didn't wish to kill anymore. Not humans, anyway."

After a few seconds of considerable silence, he spoke again. "You're not angry, but I feel like...I don't know. Like its a betrayal."

Alenia turned to look at him, his handsome face hinted by guilt.

"You've lived a lot longer than me. Plus you didn't know better."

"Too wise," he mumbled while shaking his head in stunned amusement.

She giggled quietly.

"So, what happened to her?"

Jasper's eyes turned pained as he focused on the road, his one hand on the wheel as the other pulled her into his side so they weren't in skin-contact.

"We were driving in the town, and a guy cycled passed, we clipped him, but he was fine... She got so mad that she jumped out and yelled at him while he was tending his split knee...she saw it and snapped."

"She...?"

"She didn't get to him, I got to her in time, amazingly" he assured her, "but the guy was pretty freaked out."

"I can imagine," she replied lamely. It was becoming easier to imagine that brown haired pixxy become the disheveled monster that so hated her.

"Do you know why she escaped?"

Jasper shook his head. "I can't feel anything from her, and Edward can hear nothing. So we don't even know _when _she did. Only Carlisle sees her, and he saw her..."

His voice trailed off, and Alenia wondered about the fresh wrinkle between his brows.

"Jasper?"

"I...nothing...just thinking of last night," he mused, and they entered her street. They drove quietly for a moment, and soon pulled out side her house. The drive way was empty.

"Rowan's still out there" she thought out loud, thinking how scruffy her window looked with that ridiculous board she had placed in it before she had left. The arm around her tightened.

"He won't get to you," Jasper whispered in her hair, his lips brushing the strands separating him from the skin of her cheek. A small smile escaped her.

"It's ridiculous to think I've only known you a week," she breathed, her eyes closing in contentment. All the trouble in the world seemed light years away, time seeming to have paused and constricted to outside the car. He laughed in to her hair a small chuckle. "I've waited for you for years...decades."

"Old man," she sighed, and laughed as she heard him growl harmlessly.

"I may have been around for long time, Miss, yet I am but 2 and 20," he drawled in his husky Texan voice. Shivers ran down her spine, and that constant fluttering in her stomach increased in response.

"Come on," he motioned quietly, and climbed from the car to open her door before she had chance.

Before they reached the door, he stopped and reached into his pocket. Alenia heard the quiet rock tune signifying a call.

"Yes?" he said as he flipped open the phone. She watched as his face turned angered as he listened to the other end.

"Ed..-that's...no! I am not endangering h-...Hello?"

He slammed the phone shut and cursed quietly.

"What was that about?"

He glanced back to her, and fright flitted in his eyes. "Alice isn't talking," he said.

"That doesn't seem surprising," she replied nonchalantly, but Jasper didn't get het up so easily. Not unless...it came to his human soul mate's safety.

"Edward said she's fed on a human," he revealed quickly, leaning on the door frame to emphasize a sense of privacy. His word's didn't match the forced way he kept himself calm, and she could hear the anger tinting his words.

"...and?" she pushed, her voice trembling. His eyes locked on hers for a long, meaningful moment.

"...you need me to find out," she realized, deflated, just dreading the idea of having to be in close proximity to her. One hand on her might just push her over the edge.

"I'll do it," she finally decided, earning a glare from the honey blond man.

"We'll find another way," he said, stroking a stand of hair from her face, but she shook her head defiantly. Pushing her fear away, she was resolved. As shaky as it was, she was set.

"If she's killed someone, that someone's loved ones need to know."

Jasper shook his head derisively. "We'll discuss it later," he murmured, and suddenly a hand shot round her waist. "I'd like to show you something."

"Hu-" she didn't get change to finish saying what she meant to, as her breath was taken by the air rushing around her at impossible speed, her arms clasped around Jasper's neck instinctively as he held her to his chest.

"Trust me," he said with a coy smile, just loud enough to hear over the rush of the wind.


	21. Chapter 21

Edward avoided Bella's glare guiltily.

"I know," he said. "I could have handled that-"

"You could have handled that a HUNDRED times better. Or let me do it," she snapped, her folded arms a sign of her disappointment while she was in mother-mode.

"I told him the plan, what more can I do?"

"Honey, you're not very skilled at delivering bad news," she reminded him, and he was transported back to that time in the woods, the breakup he still doubted she had forgiven him for.

Carlisle strolled in then, and seemed to recognize the tension in the room. His eyes shifted between the pair.

"You could have asked me to-"

"I know, Carlisle," he growled, and heard distantly the sound of the phone crumbling to pieces in his fist.

"But it was my idea," Rose called from upstairs, seemingly both triumphant and amused that no one else had thought of it. "I could have done it!"

"Hey!...Carlisle, I did it that way for a reason," he said, and his father let a short laugh escape him.

"I don't like the idea," he admitted. "I don't like the idea of her being close to...Alice. She's not stable."

"Edward," Carlisle breathed as he looked down sadly, "we have no other option. If we did, trust me, I would do anything. I would drag Aro here physically, if I knew where he had disappeared to."

"Besides, Jasper will never let a cell on her arm be touched by her," Bella assured, but Edward was still unsure.

"Alice is desperate. And unpredictable."

"And weak," Emmett's gruff voice added as he appeared in the doorway ahead.

"But I still can't get into her mind. With a vampire, weak or not, that's a risk."

Bella huffed in exasperation. "Ed, sweety, you have _got _to drop this hero thing you've got going."

"It's like-"

They all turned to Jacob's familiar voice as he too appeared in the doorway, next to Emmett. They were about the exact same build about now.

"Mom!" Renesme called, and skipped into the living area to hug Bella. She began laughing at her exuberance.

"I see you enjoyed your visit to Florida!" she laughed, and Renesme lightly touched her cheek.

Bella's golden eyes grew wide, and a smile lit up her eyes. "Same old mom," she mused with a chuckle.

Her daughter tore away from her and embraced her father, while Jacob was routed next to Emmett like a displaced object.

"Sup," Emmett greeted quietly from the side of his mouth, leaning nonchalantly against the door frame.

"Nothing much, anything going on here?"

"Eh, Jasper found a new chick who turned out to be his mate and Alice escaped but we got her back."

Jacob choked on his breath. "What?"

Emmett shook his head patronizingly. "Which part did you _not get?_"

"Jasper...found..."

"Oh yeah," he confirmed in boredom, and soon Jacob gave up on the subject.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we have another wedding soon," the man beside him murmured finally, earning another spluttering from the kid. Despite his tanned complexion, his cheeks were a deep red.

"Huh?!"

"Man where's your head at?"

Jake thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered the conversational topic before. "Oh," he sighed, and his racing heart kept on pounding in his crimson ears as his eyes followed his reluctant friend's niece.

...

"Not far now," Jasper said, holding her close to his chest so her face was buried in his neck to keep away from the breathtaking gusts. She had never imagined that _anything _could run this fast.

He kept true to his word, and soon he slowed to a walk, eventually stopping, but not dropping her yet.

"You have to promise to close your eyes," he whispered, her face still against his throat. She hadn't seen a thing, yet.

"Eyes closed," she announced, and he let his arms go so she was standing.

"I feel like Belle in the library," she said as he covered her eyes with his cold hands, nervous with anticipation to see what he wanted her to see.

"Appropriate analogy," he said from behind, humor in his voice. "Beauty and the beast."

"Shush with your misdirected loathing," she ordered with a slight giggle, and waited.

"Ok...ready."

His cool hands brushed away from her eyes, trailing down through her hair and onto her shoulders, while she stared, stunned at the scenery.

The clearing was huge, the open purplish sky sheltering above. The horizon, lined with tree's impossible to determine the height of lined the deep red horizon, blocking the world out like walls. The ground was covered with flowers of colours she never knew existed, shades of gold and red and purple she had never imagined.

"Wow," she breathed, the word barely making it passed her lips. She felt Jasper's fingers entwine with her own repeatedly.

"I've known of this place for years," he began, and she tore her eyes away to watch the man speak.

"Whenever I need some time on my own, I would always just come here."

"Why here?" She asked, capturing his memories from his hands. These were the first ones she had seen him...contented.

"It felt like home," he replied, eyeing their hands like he was fully aware of what he was allowing her to do.

"I thought it was strange that I had to travel this far to feel that, but I went with it anyway."

"Why did you?"

He gave her a look then, full of meaning and love, and, with a gentle push, her mind received an image.

A young, red-golden haired woman. Eyes of fire, age old wisdom shining through. That, with the jolt of belonging, she felt from Jasper, but it matched her own, from what she could remember of that moment she had first seen him.

With a feeling of opening her eyes, it was replaced by him again, that half smile playing innocently on his lips.

"When I first met you, I felt that sense of home, but on a more exciting, more...dizzying extent... the only time having ever experienced it being here. I think..." he began, "that the reason I love this place is because it reminds me of you, even before we met. Like its been hinting, all this time. Fore-shadowing."

Alenia couldn't keep the tears in her eyes, or the smile from her face, as he said those words. He described them, exactly like her own, only applying words to them in a way better than she could.

Silently, she walked and turned, so she was facing him directly, his body only a couple of inches away. His eyes followed her the entire time, shyness and nervousness and content swirling around all at once in the topaz orbs.

"I can't even word it...how I feel...as well as you," she admitted breathlessly, and he looked away sheepishly.

"I haven't even started," he said. "'I love you' seems...fickle. Tiny. But I do, words fail to describe how much-"

She pressed her lips to his in an instant, and his shocked ones seemed frozen for a moment.

She pulled away momentarily, giving him a look he had never seen before. Coyness.

"It'll do for now."


	22. Chapter 22

Alenia was unbothered by the cool fingers stroking her cheek wistfully. In fact, she relished it. She didn't mind that the chest beneath her ear didn't rise and fall as hers did, or that the eyes she so adored never needed to blink. What this man was, barely crossed her mind anymore. It was who he was that mattered, and the fact that she was destined to be tied to him forever by some invisible knot made her head swim in wonder.

A cool breeze washed over them like a wave, and Jasper took it as the rude sign that they should get home. He felt her in-compressible shiver against his body, and she groaned derisively. A playful spark lit up his mind.

Without warning, he shot into a stance, taking er in his arms with him, and laughed at the stunned expression on her face, slightly delayed.

"You're mean!" She said, and all that was missing was the arm cross and a huff. He laughed further at the image.

He stopped for a moment to compose himself, and noticed her eyes directed him in a way that could kill.

"Fine," he moaned, defeated, and let her down. She scowled at him for a moment, but the look he gave her was that of a puppy that had known he had done wrong.

"Don't give me that look," she finally said, and planted a firm kiss on his lips. He growled slightly from his chest as she felt his smile against hers, and she pulled away.

"We have a matter to discuss, before you get me too distracted."

His grin faltered and disappeared as he thought. Then he nodded. "Ok."

"You're ok with it now?"

He nodded again, and in response her sense of dread grew. "You'll be with me the whole time?"

He gave her a look then that said, "Obviously."

...

Carlisle trekked up the stairs and emerged from the basement behind the stair case, emerging just in time to catch Jasper and his guest pursue the house, hand in hand, smiling and laughing as they should. But he himself knew how she must be feeling. The nervous dread behind those amber eyes would be difficult to conceal. He knew this because he was struggling with his own fear of Rosalie's plan, and constantly battled to find the best alternative. He was prepared to find Aro and physically drag him to the house, if he knew where he had disappeared to. Since the almost-war communication had dwindled to an eventual stop, after Alice had predicted he had decided to run, even Aro himself didn't know where to.

The couple entered and greeted Carlisle differenly; Alenia with a shaky smile, Jasper with a glare that hid a sense of impending doom.

I know, son, his gaze said.

"What happened to your cheek?" Alenia asked in concern, and his fingers traced the track marks of Alice's nails, marked by mud. He shook it off and laughed nonchalantly. "Nothing to worry yourself, Alenia."

Jasper threw him a glare, and tugged gently the hand he was holding to hold her protectively closer.

"Anyway," he breathed, trying to elevate the atmosphere. "Oh! Jacob and Renesme are home," he announced finally, and Jasper's expression lifted a little, and he smiled gently. "Who are they?" Alenia asked, turning her head to look at him.

"My niece and...friend," he said ominously. Carlisle couldn't help but smirk at how suited to the protective uncle act Jasper was. Much better than Emmett, anyway.

They followed Carlisle into the lounge, where Edward was sat with a slightly younger girl and a tanned boy. Both seemed to be human.

The girl turned to them and jumped up with a squeal. "Uncle Jaz!"

He embraced her with one arm, and pulled away to introduce the new addition to the family.

"Ness, this is-"

"Alenia!" she squealed again, and through her arms around the girl of similar height. Her excitability was infectious.

"Nice to meet you, Renesme is it?"

She pulled away and nodded happily, while the tanned muscular boy stood in preparation. "This is my...er...friend, Jacob," she corrected as Edward cleared his throat.

"Aren't dad's embarrassing," she mumbled with a petulant frown. Alenia was still getting over the shock that Edward was a father. But, she looked a lot like Bella.

Jacob threw his hand forward and smiled a huge toothy grin, and she took it with a smile. The situation reminded her very much of this morning. Gosh, that seemed like days ago. Renesme was as fascinated by her as Esme had been.

"You could be a vampire," she gasped. The girl blushed at the perhaps unusual compliment.

Bella glided in then, and went to her daughter. "Would you and Jake like to tell me about your holiday back at the house?"

Renemse nodded and grabbed Jacob's hand, much to Edward's discomfort, and pulled the man with surprising strength. The room now only contained those 3, and Edward.

Soon, Rosalie and Emmett entered, and they all gathered on the couches.

"Ok," Carlisle began, and clapped his hands together in a business like manner. "Alenia, you know the plan," he stated, and she nodded uneasily.

"Good...trust me, if there were any other way-"

"It's fine, a family has lost someone. I want to help in any way I can," she interjected, and he smiled graciously. "You are essential, so we thank you. It is for those reasons we need this to be done."

"But, I'm not quite sure how it works yet. All I know is that I can see what part of the past someone is thinking of upon contact, and that I'm having dreams about Jasper's past."

"Could we be exposing her to an unnecessary risk?" Edward asked, having been itching to ask the question since she admitted her own uncertainties.

Carlisle turned his head back to Alenia at the question, forming his answer. "The room will be filled with us vampires stronger than Alice...made stronger to protect a loved one. Alenia's gift seems to be more physical that mental, so there is a very low chance of not being able to read her, such as you, Edward. So no, I feel it is not a risk."

"And Alenia seems glad to help," Rosalie added.

"Despite how you explained it," Emmett commented snidely, and received a solid nudge from Rose.

Alenia smiled round at the kind, pale faces, the sense of dread calming a little.


	23. Chapter 23

Jasper was scared as they descended the stair case into the basement, and endured the winding tunnels as his fears nagged at his brain. What would she see? Had Alice done something so terrible, just to spite her? Having known her powers from a vision? So many uncertainties surrounding this plan, not just whether Alice was mad enough to try and kill her, blinded by pure hunger and insanity.

Alenia was housing her own thoughts, mostly how her powers worked, and how reliable they were. Would she let them down? How long the vision would take to receive was questionable.

Carlisle paused and turned at the doorway, and looked each person in the eye as Rose and Emmett caught up.

"Ok, Rose and I will be waiting out here, while Emmett and Edward will go in with you, just in case. Nothing to worry yourself about, Alenia," he explained with a calm smile, but there was a certain uneasiness in his eyes. Jasper wondered why he was so avoidant of Alice lately.

He stood back, and Edward dug his fingers to curl around the edge of the wooden door, opening it painfully slow. Alenia squinted cautiously into the dark room, eventually gaining a full view as she went closer. The room was empty, not a scrap of furniture, a bed, anything. Not even a window.

"We don't sleep," Edward put in, but she was barely listening. Her senses were frozen as her eyes took in the sight. A small, crouched figure was huddled on the floor, rocking back and forth.

Edward inched forward cautiously, while the other two followed, hand in hand. Jasper seemed to be reluctant to let her go.

The man ahead stopped to stand over her, looking down upon her like a child, and shot down into a crouch. She didn't even flinch.

"She's not even responding," Jasper mused doubtfully, more to himself than anyone else. At the sound of his voice, Alice snapped her heard round. Her eyes fell on Alenia, and her whole body shifted to face them, changing to a kneel.

"You were saying," She whispered, but Jasper was only more cautious. His arm transferred around her shoulders.

"Come on."

Alenia moved forward slowly, Jasper at her side the entire time, his eyes watching as Alice's followed his mate like prey.

She felt like a mouse among cats.

Silently, she stopped in front of Alice and dropped down to mimic her position, seeing the panic in her hungered black eyes. Her lips began to twitch.

"a-...A.r...ar-"

"Alice," Edward finished, and her frightened eyes flitted between the girl before her, and the man standing over her like a guardian angel.

"Alice," Edward repeated, but she was already turning her eyes away.

"Just do it."

Edward's eyes widened momentarily at the shock of the high, wispy voice. Then he nodded at Alenia to continue.

No less nervous and with a shaking hand, she pushed it forward as though it were foreign, and placed the very tips of her fingers on an exposed area of her forearm.

A picture snapped in her open eyes, clearer than an after image, of a dim room, only slightly lighter than the one they currently occupied. Its walls were made up of yellowing padding, fraying at numerous torn holes. The girl it contained as sat, huddled as before. In fact, the only difference between the image and the current reality was that she wasn't rocking back and forth. She seemed almost...sane.

It was gone as fast as the others, but her sense of not belonging and fright stayed with her for a few moments longer.

"N-not...visions...not allowed," she said brokenly, her shoulder's slouching. The piteous knot in Alenia's stomach grew. Edward was merely watching the pair in silence.

"Ok, we're done," he sighed in relief, and they stood together. Jasper's hands formed round her own instantly, and he trailed behind as they exited.

"Wait," Alenia whispered, stopping just before the door, and looked back to the girl watching them.

Her face wore a bitter scowl. _Enjoy, _her lips formed, and smiled innocently.

The knot was replaced with a sickness, and Alenia couldn't wait for escape.

...

After suffering those winding tunnels, much like a maze, Carlisle's reasons for placing Alice down here were justified; she wouldn't ever find her way out.


	24. Chapter 24

A weight lifted from each set of shoulders as the basement was exited, and Alenia literally sighed with relief. While she was anxious still, the fear of having to go near Alice was diminished.

_"Enjoy," _a small, withered voice whispered in her mind, sinister and threatening. The man next to her must have felt her anxiety, as his hand tightening on her waist.

"That went well," Rose commented, oblivious to what actually happened. They all were, perhaps even Edward. Her mind wasn't functioning as it should, if at all, and she didn't know where he stood with someone like that.

"Thank heavens," Carlisle breathed behind them, and disappeared to presumably tell the others. Jaspers arms hugged her, making sure to avoid skin contact in case it messed the plan up. "I guess I should get you home."

She nodded sleepily, the pitch darkness outside only telling her that it was late. She checked her phone for missed calls, two from her brother.

"Definately," she groaned.

Rose gave a meaningful look toward Emmett, who nodded and shot away without his wife. She remained, routed to the spot, her shoes clinking quietly on the wooden floor.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," she told her, avoiding her eyes awkwardly. She pride over her genius plan seemed to be diminished, but secretly the fact that this family needed a human to do their dirty work was pitiful. Edward felt useless, not being able to read potentially the most dangerous mind he had ever encountered, and Jasper was ashamed. In those short few moments, his human mate had more power than any of them, particularly him.

In his office, Carlisle's hands leaned on the desk as he battled against his shame, not needing Jasper's gift to recognize how terrified she must have been, and how admirably brave she acted. She made him see how truly weak he was, and one more terrible thing; he was not only weary of Alice, he was scared. Scared of what his daughter had become, scared of the stranger in the basement.

As he waited for strength to stand, he realized something else; to him, she was no longer a Cullen. It had been that way for a long time, but everyone was either avoiding the subject, or no one was unwilling to admit the truth.

...

The child like figure watched the room bounce up and down in rapid motions, her mind only dark walls and empty corners, too.

"A...r..." her voice growled quietly, forcefully. Angry. That was all she was. She hoped _he _could know that.

And she...she would see it.

...

Jasper cut off the engine, and the car descended into silence.

"Long day," he breathed, dropping his hands from the wheel. He turned to face Alenia, and neither face seemed to be able to decide whether to smile or frown. In so many ways it was the best day of her life, but Alenia wished so much that it wasn't hindered by her. She simply nodded, and smiled anyway, to let him know that she was ok.

"I wish I could kiss you," she sighed sadly. Or just hold your hand, she added mentally. She watched his face longingly as he nodded back.

"You'd better get inside, you'll tempt me to ruin this plan forever."

She laughed sleepily, and turned to open the door.

"Jasp-"

He was gone when she turned, and her door opened behind.

She found him looking seriously at her.

"You don't think I'm leaving you alone, do you? There's still Rowan," he reminded, and she mentally slapped herself. How could she forget him?

Then she eyed him coyly. "Now, Mr Whitlock, I thought you a gentleman," she exclaimed in her poshest voice. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I'll stay outside then."

"No you won't, that window looks better from the inside."

He laughed then, and she climbed out.

"I'll park this somewhere," she heard him say, and the car drove off as she made it to the door.

...

Alenia fell on her door and sighed in exhaustion, finally able to rest. Safely, at least. Then her eyes landed on the man in her chair, the wind bellowing through the curtains.

"That's breaking and entering," she told him, but Jasper was smiling a small mischievously smile. "I know, I feel like a criminal." His eyebrow rose coyly, and she dropped herself in his lap.

"Is it normal to love someone within a week?"

A hand massaged her back. "For a day, yes. So a week, definitely."

"Ditto," she sighed happily, falling to sleep with a smile on her face. In those few seconds, her world in that small room was perfect.

...

The padding beneath her feet felt like nothing, the air, nothing. Just as in Jasper's story, all Alenia could only see and hear. Unlike with his, she felt nothing from the tiny girl in the corner, her eyes frozen wide in fear as she faced the doorway, her human hands still clasped around her legs.

"Hello, little girl," a voice snarled, and Alenia turned to see a blond haired man in the doorway. Dirty blond, long locks, hanging around his face in disarray. While he had in inhuman glow of a vampire, making him that more attractive, he only looked savage, not handsome in anyway. His bottom lip poked out in mock sadness as the girl didn't reply back.

From then, he motioned her like a child, to a child. He waved his arm toward the door excitedly.

"You're free! Come on, its safe."

She stayed put.

"Fine," he huffed, and his face transformed back into that savage, hungered smile. In a flash he was attacking her, and she had no more strength than a kitten.

A terrible snap, a whimper, and silence. Blood flowed in between the cushions around her feet.

The image went black, but she didn't wake screaming. She didn't wake at all.

Her eyes opened to something completely different; a new view.

She was stood in a huge room, tall and church like, intricate patterns and portraits adorning the walls of unknown persons and landscapes. But it wasn't them she was looking at; it was the people it contained. Many.

The first she saw was Edward, stood next to a comparatively tanned and terrified looking Bella, her brown eyes focused ahead.

There, following her line of vision, she saw Alice, a completely different person to who she was an hour ago. Her clothes were new and stylish, her hair neat, her high heels clinking on the floor as Rose's did earlier. She stopped and held her hand out to a dark haired man, his red eyes fascinated by the sight before him. He took her hand, and his eyes grew impossibly wider.

As did hers, and that's when she felt it.

An electric jolt, a surge of dull excitement, a sickness that was both dizzying and pleasurable.

Just like when Jasper held her hand...for the first time...

Her soul mate.


	25. Chapter 25

Her eyes flew open in surprise, floating out from the vision instead of begging for something to tear her away. Arms were clasped around hers as securely as before, but it took a while to establish where she was.

"Jasper," she whispered, looking up to him. He was already staring down at her, wide awake and smiling.

"Nice sleep?"

She shook her head slowly, but she was confused more than anything. How her story skipped so suddenly, like it meant nothing. "It was strange, but it was her."

He adjusted them both then to carry her to the bed. Laying her down, he set himself next to her, propping his head up on his forearm like a pillow. The other drew her in to him.

"Was it bad?"

She shook her head, again, not just to deny it. "I saw her change, like yours, and then it skipped. I long way, I think. I saw Bella and Edward, but she was human. There was some other guy. Black hair," she explained, and connected her eyes to his expectantly.

"Aro," he stated coldly, "he's caused a lot of trouble in the past, but that's a name I haven't heard for a couple of years."

"Hmm," she mused with a frown. He craned his head down to see her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing...its just that during your vision I felt alot. With hers, it was all vague...except for one part. She held her hand out to him-"

"He's a mind reader, too. But he needs to be in contact."

"I got a sense from her, like a really, really strong feeling. Almost exactly like the one when you held my hand...for the first time."

His eyes grew wide, stunned.

"What?"

"I think they were...or are...soulmates."

He actually scoffed, and she assumed he was going to deny that possibility. So it shocked her when he turned back to her and said, "It seems obvious now."

She asked why, not really caring but sort of intrigued.

"She went mad within weeks after the last time Aro made contact...it fits."

"I know for a fact that Carlisle would have contacted him for what you had to do...Aro has always been interested in Alice."

"Why?"

"She has visions about the future. It's what saved us, and them, from killing each other."

It was her eyes that grew wide then, and an anger filled in her stomach at the thought of anyone wanting to hurt him. For a few moments, his lingering smile grew.

"Don't panic, I'm the strongest in the family," he assured, but Alenia wasn't satisfied. "Why did you nearly kill eachother?"

He spent the next 20 minutes telling her the whole story, about the Volturi, about the almost-war, and witnessed her eyes fluctuate with her pulse, the blood raise to her neck and retreat, and her anger at any mention of harm coming to him; the fact that she held so much concern for him should have been disheartening, but it wasn't. He felt like how he always wanted to feel, from the person he always wished to find.

She dosed to sleep slowly at the story, a dreamless sleep it seemed, her eyelids not twitching. He hoped she wouldn't dream again tonight.

He watched her breathe slowly, and his mind trailed away to the events of the field. Unplanned as they were, it was anything he could have dreamed of and more.

He forced his brain to consider the new information, the new knowledge Alenia had fed to him, and it was ridiculous how it never occurred to him before. It was always Alice he wanted, never Edward, or even Bella. He never made such an effort to get them on board, and now he knew why. However, it didn't explain why Alice went mad. It only raised other questions, ones like, was it truly random? A freak occurrence, a ticking bomb? Or did something happen at that time that in some way acted as a trigger?

They certainly hadn't heard from Aro for a while...that was hugely uncharacteristic.

...


	26. Chapter 26

Morning rose with a blaring light, orange and glorious and invading her eyes with shameless offence. She groaned and turned, only to be greeted by a dim shimmer, a sparkling intrusion. Her eyes cleared, and she was greeted with a grinning, devilishly mischievous face.

"Why are you sparkling?" she groaned, closing her eyes against the tiny lights. He chuckled, and his cool breath tickled her nose.

"Being a vampire has some perks..."

"Such as blinding your girlfriend first thing in the morning?!" she whispered sharply, rubbing her eyes and climbing out of bed just to close the curtains. Looking at him again, he was no longer sparkling.

"And it raises some issues," he continued, looking sheepish and coy. With a sleepy, amused smile, she dropped herself next to him again, reminding herself that she couldn't kiss him yet.

"This sucks," she groaned, fingering the collar on his sweater. He gave her a sad smile, and closed his arms around her small body...

...

After a short debate and some guilt tripping, Jasper eventually caved and left her room, trusting that she would be OK while he was gone, to inform his family of the new information that had come to light. He found his car in the next street, and sped to his home as fast as possible, all so he could get back. She had also observed that his eyes were darker, and he realized he hadn't eaten for a day. He cursed his own carelessness, especially with her.

He was greeted by Bella at the door, already waiting anxiously outside the closed door, and he could only mumble a quick 'morning', his pace too fast to stop. He didn't want to. He would only be here 5 minutes, tops. After that, he would leave them to figure out any confusing details for themselves.

He knocked the office door, feeling Bella's confused anticipation radiating behind him.

"Come in," a calm voice beckoned, and Jasper opened the door to Carlisle's quiet pacing.

"What happened? Did she...find anything?"

Jasper didn't know whether to nod or shake his head. "She hasn't found out what happened while she was missing, but...something else...happened."

Carlisle stood blankly, waiting. Jasper took in a sharp breath.

"She saw Aro, when Bella found Edward in Italy. According to her, Alice..."

He'd not managed to get his head round it himself yet. "She felt, from Alice, what she felt...what I felt, when our skin touched for the first time."

"When Aro took her hand...thats when it happened."

Carlisle remained, seeming not to know what to make of the words. He heard them, he understood them. He understood what they were telling him...but Jasper watched several different emotions pass over his father's young face then, each of them confused and unreadable.

"That's...are you sure?"

"She's got everything right so far. She said she didn't feel anything else other than that feeling. Everything between her change and meeting Aro was gone, deleted."

"Hmm..." he mused, actually stopping to sit at his desk and think. "I think I might have figured out how her gift works."

Jasper felt his eyebrow arch in interest.

"It seems...that Alenia sees memories of a person that is tied to a strong emotion. Anger, pain, love..."

Jasper wondered, assuming that she had recalled each of her dreams to him since realizing what they were.

"She told me the other night...that before she usually dreamed about weddings, births, random things like that."

Carlisle nodded, that sentence seeming to have confirmed his hypothesis. "Curious," he mused with a smile.

"So you believe it? About Aro and...?"

The man behind the desk turned his face to him, and nodded a slow nod.

"It seems odd how we didn't figure it out before," he agreed, "since her episode began very soon after Aro stopped contact."

A frown creased his brows then, and Jasper shifted under his gaze.

"When did you last feed, son?"

"Friday," Jasper murmured. He removed his eyes from his father's disappointed gaze, expecting a speech about how dangerous that had been. Instead, he stood, and walked from behind the desk.

"Make sure you do before you go back."

...

Moments later, he was a bullet through the trees, pushing out for a scent. He was deep in the woods now, and came across the clearing in which a heard of deer waited, oblivious and non-expectant. He only caught a short, brief whiff, crouching behind the tree in wait, before it drifted away from his senses. For a moment, he thought he had missed them dart away, but he glanced round to see them there, eating quite happily.

The hunger growled away, burned in his throat, itched at his tongue. But it wasn't being tempted, and it was frustrating.

He couldn't smell a thing.

_Snap_

Jasper shot his head round, and saw only trees, hundreds, bunched thickly, separating him from the blissful outside. He looked back again, focusing on the deer, as his senses continued to fail him.

_Crunch_

__Again, Jasper looked behind, the silence, so easily shattered, closing on his mind. Again, nothing, and he was beginning to think this was a childish prank on behalf of one of his younger siblings.

"Emmett," he called, his deep voice failing to bounce back to him. His eyebrow twitched in impatience, but he stood his ground. He was not going near her, endangering Alenia's life, until he had fed.

Behind, in the clearing, a ear splitting, tragic squeal broke his thoughts, and a large weight was plowed at him. His arms shot out and caught it, and he lay the limp body to the ground behind him.

"Don't come that with me," a familiar voice snarled, and Jasper's eyes drifted to the clearing, Rowan standing in the centre, his evil, glowing eyes smug.


	27. Chapter 27

"I see you figured out how to fix it," Jasper observed coldly, motioning to Rowan's intact arm. He looked down to it and flexed it to emphasize his point.

"Yep, in full working order," he laughed, too distracted to see Jasper launch at him.

...

A knock on the door broke her concentration, and she looked up from her work and sighed at the wasted effort.

"Yeah."

The door opened quietly to welcome Scott carrying a fresh bag of popcorn, stuffing them in his face one by one.

"Yo."

Alenia waited for him to explain his intrusion, and instead was offered the bag. She held up her hand and glared at him in irritation.

"Is this just a friendly visit or is there something?"

He shrugged meaningfully, turning his stuffed face to the ground, and he waited until he'd eaten it all. She was amazed he wasn't fat. Finally, he swallowed and held up a hand to capture her attention.

"Just haven't spoken much since you started school."

"That was a week ago," she reasoned, but knew that there was another reason to his visit. While he acted dumb quite often, he had a functioning brain that saw things. And he had noticed something he wanted to talk to her about.

"You really love it here, don't you?"

She stared, and nodded like it was obvious.

"Yeah..."

"Is it...him?" he asked awkwardly, avoiding her eyes. She blushed at the implications, and dreaded admitting it to him. It was never any good lying to him.

"For the most part."

He nodded as he considered it. Then he turned his amused eyes to her.

"If so, he I guess he deserves you. I formally announce that he has passed the tests."

A laugh escaped from her throat, and he glared at her in annoyance.

"Of course he did!" she giggled, but his stare only intensified.

"Those are well thought out tests, but that's besides the point. Just let him remember that if he hurts you..."

"...Scotty, I trust him, and I'm sure you do, too."

He switched his eyes from her again, his forehead blazing, his somewhat unusual sign of embarrassment showing. Then he slowly turned, and made way from the room.

...

He snapped back in when he heard a wince.

"Ni? NI!"

He crouched to the floor and shook his sister's shoulders as hard as he could to wake her, but she wouldn't budge beneath his shivering hands. She was, herself, limp, laying on the carpet as though simply in a deep sleep. Tears mingled with sweat in his eyes, streaming from his face in panic. She never fainted in her life.

...

"Uncle Jazz has been a long time, Mom," Renesme observed across the table, eyeing Bella and Rosalie with rare concern. Bella simply shook her head, dismissing Renesme's concern for want of proximity with her favorite uncle. "He just hasn't hunted for a couple of days, honey, he's been gone longer than this before now."

"Your father's gone to find him, anyway, no doubt he'll go to Alenia's once he's done," her aunt added with a small, gracious smile, knowing in that her brother was finally truly happy. She had waited a long, long time for that.

"But that was two hours ago, Mom! You know he'll want to know about-"

"Sweety, we need to discuss that with your father, first. Or we have to wait for Jake to ask permission. You know how long that could take," she said softly, and saddened at the demotivated expression on her daughter's face. She flitted to the seat next to her and took her hand in her own.

"Surely he knows already, Mom, he knew before I did what would happen."

"But your father is very old fashion, Renesme," Rose reminded her kindly, taking the other hand resting on the table. "I'm certain he's even read Jacob's mind, but in his day the man had to ask a father's permission, physically. It's the done thing, to him."

Renesme nodded in defeated agreement, and slowly rose from the table, disconnecting her hands from the two women.

"Just going to find Jake, I'll force him there if need be," she smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

...

His fingers were frozen as they hovered over the buttons on the phone, and his mind wouldn't function as he tried to word what he was going to say, when suddenly, the doorbell sounded through the house distantly.

It took him a full minute to tear his knees from the floor, not having moved since landing there, having taking her phone from the desk above. He wasn't even sure whether it was right, or safe, to leave her. He wasn't even sure why he was moving at all, or how. He just knew he was no good to her like that.

An unknown number of seconds later he tugged open the door, finding the dull light blinding to the comparatively dimly lit hallway. When his eyes cleared, he took in the sight before him. A tall man, height perhaps added to by his hair, standing with an arrogant air. He looked a lot like his sister's...friend.

"Yeah?"

The man, who barely looked older than him, looked down to him with scrutiny.

"Would you be Scott?"

He nodded slowly, and gathered him to be Jasper's relative. The man held his hand out, and Scott eyed it suspiciously before taking it.

"Edward," he offered, a mechanic smile plastering itself on his face. "May I talk to your sister for a moment?"

Scott's fist gripped at the phone, damp with sweat, and caught his golden eyes switch to it.

"Is she ok?" he asked, but something in his voice barely sounded concerned. Or at least, no different.

Scott's head remained frozen forward, and even his eyes felt dead. All that was moving was his hand, shaking as it gripped the object with generous strength.

He didn't even notice Edward shoot through the house, to the very room he had not long vacated.


	28. Chapter 28

Edward stared down at the body on the floor helplessly, no knowledge of what to do. When he heard her brother's panics thoughts, he didn't think. He simply acted the most discrete way possible.

"Come on, Alenia," he whispered, and he silently prayed for Jasper to turn up somewhere. He couldn't touch her, he realized, and flinched his fingers away before they messed up Rose's begrudgingly ingenious plan. He was left to rock quietly on his feet, and that was how he was found by the stricken brother.

"What happened?" he mumbled quietly, keeping his eyes set on her closed lids, amber orbs missing from the usually glowing eyes. All he received from his brain were long, drawn out buzzes, spiking with random and spontaneous moments of panic.

"Scott, I need to know-"

"I just found her that way!" he snapped, his light brown eyes stretched his shock, and he began shaking his head hopelessly.

"She doesn't faint," he cried quietly, and sat on the end of her bed to look down at his sister, apparently sleeping.

Then Edward tried something...

He pushed for her mind. If she was sleeping as deep as she seemed to be, then she would most likely be in dream stage.

"We need to get her to my father."

"Your...the Doctor?"

Edward slipped his arms under the girl, light as a feather, and carried her downstairs to his car. He felt her brother follow like a zombie down the steps, slow paces and dull thoughts of fear.

He lay her in the back seat, and climbed into the driver side while Scott appeared in the passenger seat.

"Seat belt," Edward reminded, but the kid just stared ahead, keeping his hands in his lap.

"Fine," he murmured, and shot down the road, still pushing for her thoughts. After a few unknown number of moments, he found a thread, gripped it, and didn't let go...

He found himself in a snowy white field, humongous in its vast size, only made to look larger with the glistening white ground. He searched round, and his eyes landed on a few dots in the distance, people. And a large wolf...

"Fascinating," he commented, but his mouth didn't make a sound. He simply felt a his own voice in his head.

His eyes scanned the familiar field, and they fell on a much larger group, a sea of black cloaks, red eyes and old white skin. Aro stood at the front, a clear leader by his papery flesh, ages withered, impecibly smooth and contrasting with his hungered maroon eyes, focused ahead on Alice, her hand closing into his.

"My dear Alice, the great creature you could be...with us," his voice slithered, and her then-immaculate features twitched into something akin to pain, gone before it was replaced with ice cold detachment.

Upon contact, he felt a jolt pull at his skin, and it resembled a fire, mighty and fickle and pleasurable all at the same time, like an electric current on his skin. But it was only in his head.

The scene that followed was simply...there were no words. He was watching events that simply didn't happen, but all vivid and true, facial expressions and moves, true to each person present. He felt sickness as he watched his beloved father launch at Aro, and his limp, headless body fall to the slow, sprinkling around it with disturbing softness.

He watched his family, himself, and their friends become grief stricken savages at the sound of Esme's cries, and soon the sea was an ocean of black and color, merged in battle. He witnessed in frozen, helpless horror as Jasper was forced into brainless agony, fallen to his knees as Jane pursued with cold pleasure, and as his head was torn off, left to roll away from his body...

He was torn back into reality with a sharp scream, and his hands flew to his ears as he slammed his foot on the break.

He looked desperately to Scott, who had also finally been awakened from his trance and was acting just as stunned.

"What!" he shouted, just as the car was filled with enormous silence. Both eyes drifted to the girl laying behind them, her hands to her eyes, uncontrolled tears spilling freely into her pool of golden hair.

"Jas...no...come back..." she wept quietly, perhaps to quiet for her human brother to make out. But Edward had distinguished each tortured sound as if it were killing her.

Scott ran out of the car and opened the back, and pulled his sister to him by her arms. She tried to fight, but she was too weak, and settled eventually.

"It's ok," he whispered, stroking her hair to her head with soft motions. Slowly, she ceased to cry.

"What happened, Ni?"

She pushed gently away, and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve.

"Bad dream," she claimed, her watery laugh fickle, but her eyes found Edward's knowingly. He simply nodded, silently vowing he never wished to dare her mind again.

...

It was Esme who greeted them 15 minutes later, graceful smiles and happiness, nothing like in the vision. Edward and Alenia were still trying to push that painful image from their brains.

"Ah, this must be your brother," she sang welcomingly, and shook his hand as he simply stared in a new type of stunned disbelief.

"Nice to meet you," he murmured, only moving his eyes marginally to see her husband stroll in and place his hand on the shoulder furthest from him.

"Good you meet you Scott," he greeted, and shook his hand. "Alenia," he welcomed happily, and eyed the pensive Edward with no less enthusiasm.

"Son?"

"Erm, Alenia passed out but...as you see she's fine now-"

"Passed out? When?"

Scott switched his eyes again to a large bear of a man, and for the first time felt very intimidated. This guy looked like he could kill a wrestler or three.

"It was just when I arrived to find Jasper. About 45 minutes ago."

Then he caught a movement come through the door next to him, and a brunette floated through the glass door.

"I wonder where he got to..." She mused, planting herself next to Edward with a frown on her brow.

Alenia was silent, frozen under her brother's weary gaze, her heart beating with a audible thud as the room was noticeably empty of Jasper.


	29. Chapter 29

Carlisle listened intently as Alenia recounted her whole vision, from when she was talking to her brother in her room to when she awoke, her own scream shattering Jasper's deathly silence behind her eyes. Her fingers would stay still in her lap, her whole exterior was calm and somewhat cold. Her voice was almost steady. But her eyes didn't stay still for one second. They never, ever landed on him, and danced around the walls, unfocused and panicked.

He suddenly noticed the girl had stopped talking, and picked his chin from his hand leaning on the chair arm. He blinked a few times to rid the non-existent tears, and made contact with the amber orbs before him, waiting behind his desk.

"She never told us," he admitted, his own voice coarse and loud in the thick atmosphere. He tried to imagine his own son, dying in such a way. It was, however, far easier and less painful to imagine his own head in Aro's hand.

And that poor girl, to see something so...ghoulish, for use of a better word, having only known of vampire's were a reality for 2 days. To see limbs torn away, no blood spillage, to see her friends and her mate tear their own kind to pieces, so like her but so dissimilar to humans. Carlisle wondered whether that was why she was taking her most recent vision so well; there was no blood, no colorful association with the horror of their existence. Or whether she was like his eldest in more ways than he realized. Jasper would often be considered cold, but it was a defense. His first wall.

It slowly occurred to him that she wasn't too different from any of them.

He turned his eyes back to her, and they snapped back from scanning the book spines on his upper shelves. She made no sound, and waited for his next words.

He simply smirked, and rose from behind his chair, saying, "You're a curious human, Alenia, if you don't mind my saying so."

"I do wonder," she replied with a sad smile, telling him that the statement was serious. He watched her stand and make way from the room, just as Carlisle opened the door for her.

"He's okay, he's the strongest in the family."

Her profile turned away from him then, and drifted to the front door in the hallway below.

"He told me new vampires are stronger."

The man's dark eyebrow arched in interest. "Newborn?"

"Rowan may have..."

"Who is Rowan?"

Alenia turned her wide eyes on Carlisle, confused and fast. "He hasn't told you?"

"Not a word." Alenia's large eyes widened impossibly further. A sound broke the silence.

"Yeah, that guy who was outside ya house."

The pair turned to Emmett, who was standing below, neck craned and arms folded nonchalantly. Carlisle didn't know whether he found his youngest's ignorance irritating or admirable.

"The young man you tormented a few nights ago?"

A not so guilty smirk sounded from him at the memory, and he stood grinning proudly at once. "That was fu-"

"And now he's a newborn."

The smirk slid from his baby face like water on glass, and in another time it would be almost comedic. "Wh-what?"

"Rowan," Alenia began, her teeth beginning to grit against each other, "is a vampire now. He was the one who attacked me the other night."

Tears picked at her eyes as she said it, her anger washing over the ice like flame. She knew what type of man Rowan was, if he had been humiliated...God, Emmett, what have you done, she sighed to herself with a weep. If only she knew where Jasper was...

"I need to go and find him."

Carlisle arm stopped her just as she placed her foot forward.

"No, Alenia. If the newborn _is _out there, he will be after us or you."

"I'll go," Emmett announced, but when Alenia looked back to Carlisle for approval he was gone.

"No, son. Jasper can handle himself," he softly told him, hand braced on the stair case railing. and raised his hand in protest just as Emmett began to open his mouth again. "Emmett, Rowan is a newborn. Much, much stronger than you right now. Besides, you haven't fed today."

Emmett hung his head back defeatedly, and the knot in her stomach tightened. In her stress addled mind, it seemed Carlisle was keeping them from saving Jasper, but she knew he was only trying to protect the rest Of his family. Deep down, anyway.

"I should get home," she mumbled, and made way into the kitchen to find Scott staring distantly while Jacob forced a conversation out of him. It looked to be a rather painful kind of awkwardness.

"Scott?"

His dark brown head popped up from his hand. "Yep?"

She gave way to a small smile at the feeling off saving him and his reluctant new friend from further chatter. The look on Jacob's tanned face was of poorly masked relief. "Time for home?" Scott asked like a shy child, and Alenia nodded.

"I'll take you," Jacob offered, and Alenia suddenly remembered waking in Edward's car, the man himself seeming to be away.

"Thanks, Jacob," Carlisle offered from behind, almost making Alenia jump.

...

She waved Jacob and his beaten truck away down the street, standing at the door with Scott having darted into the house, presumably to release his tension by collapsing on the sofa. She hesitated just as she turned, noting how something felt strange. Like being watched, but her arms were smooth of goose bumps.

Edward? Her mind whispered, knowing that he would hear it. If she knew the Cullen's by now, in this short space of time, they would be protecting her family, humans as they were, as their own.

With that thought, she turned into the house, closed the door behind her with a click, and leaned on the door.

"Ni!" Her mother sang from the living area, not seeming to have a care in the world or any knowledge of her daughter's unease. Of course, she had no way of knowing.

"Hmm?"

"Someone here to see you," she sang again. Her eyes snapped open. Jas-?

Her eyes drifted into the living area, preparing them to land on him, but instead they found another figure. Tall, slimly built, his short dark hair flecked with sparce grey strands atop the face of her father.

"Dad!"

Without running to him to hug him, they merely grinned at each other, neither too big on public displays of emotions. It was what kept them as close as they were.

Moments later they were sat alone in the front room, and he was listening to his daughter recount her experience as an English student in an American school. She seemed to be evading the subject his wife had mentioned over the phone.

"Tell him about Jasper," Scott nudged in from behind a mouthful of Italian chocolate Michael had brought on his business trip. Once again, Alenia wondered how he stayed in shape.

"Ah yes," her father began, "the boy your mother has discussed."

Alenia turned red at the prospect of discussing her true love with her father, but saw no way round it.

"He's a guy from school, a real gentleman," she described, and noted how her father's dark amber eyes flitted up to her brother behind her, and gave a short nod.

"The Cullen's are something to behold," Scott mused from behind with a smirk, and Alenia nearly missed the glare the man's eyes as she shot her head round to throw him the death stare.

"Cullen?" Her father asked, and she snapped her head back round, finding Michael's expression one of anger. She nodded, but felt her felt wilt at the face before her. He stood, and drifted over to the window, seeming to scan for something with his keen eyes.

"Stay away from the Cullen's," she heard him whisper, and thought that maybe she had heard wrong.

"Sorry?"

"This is for your own good, Ni," his lips murmured, and she even heard Scott inhale in surprise at the bizarre turn of conversation.


	30. Chapter 30

For the second time that day, a knock sounded at the door. And for the second time, it was Scott. Instead of his mouth filled with popcorn, it was set in a frown, his eyes unreadable. Alenia waited at the end of her bed, setting aside the book she wasn't actually reading, waiting for what was inevitable since leaving the mansion.

Silently, he sat in her wicker chair, avoiding her eyes as his own searched for the right words.

"What did he mean, Ni?"

She stared up at him guiltily, knowing that he felt unusually out of it. In the dark. To him, even their father seemed to know them better than he did. He was just as confused as she was, and he thought she knew the answers.

"I don't know-"

"Please, don't give me that. I saw them, I watched them around you. I felt a vibe in that house, and I know you know something."

Alenia stared wide eyed at him and his outburst, his eyes beginning to simmer. She only hoped he wouldn't side with her father blindly.

"Please, Ni. How can I help argue against him when I don't know what is with them?" He pleaded, leaning his tensed arms on his knees by his elbows, squaring on her fully. She felt herself falter under his stare, and inside she already knew she was going to tell him. Or at least hint.

"It's not...my secret to tell. And what do you mean by 'vibe'?"

She asked with a smile, slightly knowing and somewhat startled. He was beginning to sound like her. He shrugged, shaking off what seemed to be a nagging thought. "Kind of like...not scared but...lets say I wouldn't want to be alone in a room with them off-guard."

She chuckled at the memory triggered then, the somewhat ignorant Alenia just a week previous, staring off all those vampires stood defensive behind Jasper. Scott had just described her feelings back then almost exactly.

He stood then, stretching his long legs out beneath him and his arms above, seeming to have given up. She sighed, in relief or disappointment she didn't know. It seemed like a weight she didn't know she had lowered back onto her shoulders at the thought of not talking about it.

"If," he began, just before he yawned, "you want to tell me, please do. And i'd like to know about the fainting, too." At that he turned to leave the room, but she darted up and grabbed his arm. He turned on her fast.

"Yeah?"

"I can," she started with a nervous smile, "explain the fainting. You already know I'm weird, anyway."

...

Edward waited in the concealed bushes a short way from the Damson house, just within ear shot of voices and thought traces from the family in question. Carla was out at work by this hour, so it was just her family to listen to. In his efforts to discover more about Michael's earlier statement, what else he heard was somewhat enlightening. For example, that brother of hers was more perceptive than he looked. While he appeared to be giftless, he seemed to have the instincts of his younger sister, more so than any other normal human. But he wasn't concentrating on them; while he still wished to know whether she had had any more visions, he felt invasive sneaking in the mind of his brother's mate. No, it was him. Michael. The anger piqued within Edward at his words pinned his intrigue to him like an arrow in a tree, but he was just as stubborn; his mind was never, ever free of defenses. Somehow, he must know. But he wasn't a mind reader, from what he could tell.

He felt a change in the low frequency then, and heard a door open and close from the house. He peered over, and jumped into the branches above at the sight of Michael's silhouette pursuing him at surprising speed, considering he was walking. He passed through beneath him, and Edward following in the concealment of the trees for a short while.

Minutes later, he stopped abruptly, and Edward followed suit, feeling somewhat uneasy. He was braced in suspense, surprised at how a human could be so unpredictable, and began to track back silently. He dropped down at an assuredly safe distance, 10 feet away. He watched the figure turn left slightly, and continue to walk. This time, Edward walked behind, in which time he picked up on a smell. Distinct, and bloodless. Vampire.

Ahead, Michael paused again, and removed his hands from his pockets. He broke into a jog ahead, and Edward followed him into a clearing. He watched as the man crouched down infront of a large bundle, laying on the dirt. He couldn't see his face.

"Oh god," Michael whispered, and for the first time Edward sensed a short spike in the otherwise silent wave radiating from him. He also sensed another, angered and uncontrolled. He gained on the two figures, picking up speed, until he was just behind the crouching man.

"I suggest you move."

He flicked his face up then, and looked at Edward from under his heavy brows. With eyes that were a darker version of his daughters.

"You followed me."

"Yes, and you'll be-"

A hand shot up, silencing a stunned Edward, as he watched Michael's body fly and land just short of a tree a few short feet away. The body on the floor growled, and lifted its dark head from the floor. He used his only arm to push his darkly dressed frame the rest of the way, and he stared down at his missing leg.

"Damnit," he snarled, and hoped up into an unstable stance. His red eyes glinted with furry at his new deformations, and Edward received a flow of images, vivid in shades of red, and two dominating faces; Alenia, and Jasper.

He grasped forward, but the newborn disappeared upwards into the darkness of the trees, leaving a deafening silence in his wake.

Edward looked round, only to find the man laying there. He was out, but the sound of his heart beating told that he was not dead. Which was, for a human, incredible. To survive an attack like that from a newborn, he was sure even he would feel the effects.

Wordlessly, he took the body and threw him over his shoulder.

...

A silence desended as she closed her mouth to the end of the explanation, which had revealed a bit more than actually meant. By a bit more, that means, alot. She had told him about the visions, her gift, and the true nature of the Cullens, including the akwardness of the soulmate principle that tied her to them through on person. He sat there, back in the chair, posture relaxed, expression blank. She knew it was most likely be impossible for him to believe her, but she felt a claryfication in telling him. It was finally clarified and quietly revealed to her how messy the situation truly was.

His lips opened and closed a few times, and tension slowly mounted within her. Her eyes began to feel dryer and dryer.

"Say something."

He didn't.

Alenia continued to watch him for countless seconds, as he continued like a stunned fish, stuck inbetween disbelief and assumed doubt of his sister's sanity.

...

Jasper could feel his emotions streaming through him, but not as acutely as Alenia's. She was close to the edge now, perhaps knowing she had said too much too fast, not knowing whether Scott would view her the same way again. He felt her pain like his own, and it was bracing him to the wall, just below her window.

He wondered whether she knew he was there, he knew she was scared for him. She was fearful that maybe he hadn't survived Rowan. But he had, just about. He closed his eyes to the memory of his inner savage taking over.

...


	31. Chapter 31

After some long, excruciating minutes, Scott came to life, in a very slow, quiet way.

"So, you're...and they...?"

She nodded, like coaxing a small child to say his first words. He closed his mouth abruptly at that, seeming frightened of what he might say. She only wished she had a Cullen close by to help her explain.

"Don't you believe me?"

The breeze lightly ruffled Scott's brown hair with a whistle, creating a chill in the room. He brushed it back into place with little thought, and turned to see the curtains drifting about.

"That's why it's so cold," he whispered, and stood to close the window.

"What..."

His hand went through the missing pane of glass, and he turned to his sister in confusion. Her eyes grew wide, having forgotten to get it sorted. The board must had fallen outside.

"Yeah, that was a few nights ago...another vamp-"

"No, Ni! That's bull, ok? You're supposed to be the rational one, what happened? Has he been telling you that?" He exclaimed sharply, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, and the silence grew as she worked to gather up an argument. But he was right. She was rational, logical. But she had seen, experienced, sensed what she had. It was no lie, and no madness.

"She's telling you the truth," a familiar voice drawled behind the now bellowing curtains, and both were tugged back into the present. Alenia darted from her spot to pull the curtain away, finding the face belonging to the voice.

"Jas!"

He grinned at her and leapt into the room noiselessly, and pulled her into his lightly ruffled jacket, where she let the tears flow.

"What happened? No one knew where you were."

"I'll tell you afterwards. But..."

She looked up to find his golden eyes glaring at her brother, who was retaliating with an equal intensity, but it was shaky.

"Did you do that?"

Alenia could feel Jasper's frame tense at the suggestion, as Scott motioned to the hole in the wall.

His voice was on the verge of a growl. "You think I would hurt her?"

"If what she says is true," he mocked, sarcasm dripping in his tone. But Alenia sensed the fear, and she knew Jasper did too.

"Scott," she whispered, and pulled away from the man to reach out for her brother. But he stared at her hand like an alien object. "Emotions, Ni?"

Anger simmered in her stomach, and at that moment she almost loathed him.

"Ok, so you're a vampire. And my sister's a witch. Awesome."

He scoffed humourlessly at himself, leaning his head back like keeping it up was an effort. Alenia saw his pained eyes close, and he threw his face into his hands exhaustedly.

"Get out, then," he stated as he wiped his eyes, leaving them red and sore looking. He seemed out of energy now.

"Scott!" Alenia protested, standing between him and Jasper, knowing who would win if a fight did break out. Standing before her, her brother glared over her head with an anger similar to her father's that afternoon. "Stay away from her, you hear?"

The voice behind answered immediately, with control and steadiness and certainty. "No. Until she tells me to do so, I will not leave her side."

Alenia felt her inner face grin like an idiot at those words, but showing it would hardly help the situation. Not when she could see Scott's eyes falter already.

"Ni?" He clipped, snapping his eyes down robotically. "Until he goes, I-"

"Yes?"

Alenia broke the death stare she was giving her brother to turn to Jasper, who was holding a phone to his ear. His brow was furrowed.

"Who- Edward? Edward! Damnit."

He snapped his phone shut, cursing the brother at the other end.

"You both need to come to the house. It's your father," he stated as he tucked it away in his jeans pocket, and looked up at the two faces, frozen in their last emotions.

"Dad?"

Jasper nodded, and suddenly she was worried. Terrified.

"I'll wait in the car," he whispered as he kissed her hair, and lept back through the window.

"I need to get changed," she said mechanically, and bustled round the figure to gather the clothes, still laying on the back of the chair. She ran from the room and back in, dressed and fidgeting to get Scott to exit the room with her. Eventually, his feet gave way and he was running too, but when they came to the car door he was reluctant.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked her suddenly, and she realized she didn't know for certain. Somehow, however, she had an inkling.

"Explain on the way. Provided you believe me yet," she snapped, and she climbed in the passenger side as he climbed in the back.

Despite her promise to explain, the journey was painfully soundless, and any attempt of hers was diminished by her own neurosis.

"It's true, by the way, Scott. Everything she said."

Alenia was grateful at Jasper's attempt to set things straight, but she couldn't help but find another meaning her brother might find in those words. She dared not look behind to him in the back seat, and instead listened out for signs of an outburst.

"You were ear-wigging?" He accused, and she sighed in impatience.

"Are you just going to accuse him of everything, now?" She snapped as she threw her face round to glare at him, and he sheepishly retreated back into his seat. Eventually she broke her stare and sat back straight in her seat, unwilling to meet Jasper's eyes after her own outburst. But she could have sworn she found him smirking in the corner of her eye. Nonetheless, the atmosphere increased in density considerably.

...

"Come on in, dear," Esme beckoned, and lay a soft hand on her husbands forearm to grab his attention. His focus ahead broke, and his eyes drifted from the drive way to hers. They were tortured, a tone she hated to touch the beauty of them. Angels eyes should never be blazing with such a negative emotion. It even seemed that his capacity for smiling even the tiniest smile had diminished.

"I should have known," he mused, his voice low and almost a whisper. He took his eyes from hers and laid them on her hand, pale white against the navy blue sleeve, folded stubbornly with the other. It didn't follow as it rose to lightly touch his face.

"How?" she replied, almost as quietly but with the strength of certainty. She often questioned Carlisle bouts of self doubt, but this one was madness. How was she to know about a man none of them had even encountered?

"It seems so obvious now, but..."

"But we never knew her before a couple of days ago. Things like this don't happen often. Until Renesme, we never knew it _could._"

"I'm not talking about that," he whispered, and paced forward slowly to the middle of the car lot.

"I know he was something akin to a monster, Esme. But I've known him for _decades. _It's difficult to grasp that he's...and poor Alice..."

Lights signaled a car coming up to the house, and a silver Porsche made its appearance. Esme watched in sadness as the blond man ahead loosened his arms and packed away his emotions for another time.


	32. Chapter 32

"Thank goodness," Carlisle breathed. With seemingly effortless grace, he made over to the 3 youngsters exiting the car and smiled graciously at each. The man's two children held poorly concealed concern on their faces, while Jasper kept his eyes on Alenia next to him, his arm secure on her shoulder.

"Is he ok?" Alenia asked first, raspier than intended. Carlisle nodded, his smile never faltering.

"He's well, dear," Esme assured as she joined the group, "he's on the mend."

"So he was hurt?" Scott rushed, wide eyes with accusation. Carlisle nodded with realisation. He turned his gaze on Alenia, who was now glowing with guilt.

"Perhaps you would like to explain to your brother on the way inside," he said, and turned to motion them into the house ahead. If he was honest with himself, he had little desire to endure the confusion of the forth coming conversation, especially now, when he was still trying to get his head around it himself.

...

Michael was slouched over his knees, his head leaning on his hand, a lousy attempt to slow the room twirling before his eyes. Every sound was just a little too loud, each light a little too bright. Even his own daughter's voice, typically soft and gentle, seemed to bound against his skull.

"Dad!" He heard her exclaim, and he shot his eyes up in delayed shock. The nausea sent his head spinning. He replaced his face in his hands.

"What happened?" She fretted, and he felt the sofa give next to him. He risked a small glance her way, and found her as a pale, tired face surrounded by dishevelled hair.

"I'm fine, Ni," he groaned, and his voice trembled against his skull. He rolled his forehead against his palm, concentrating on his own breathing rather than the sickness settling itself in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm afraid," he murmured, "I haven't been completely...straight with you."

...

Alenia stared in wonder and intrigue at Michael, keeping at bay the pity she felt. She had never seen her father vulnerable, hurting, or anything akin to those things. She thought perhaps that was what she admired most about him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice almost a laugh. She heard the distant footsteps in the room draw in closer, and watched in her peripheral vision Scott and Carlisle join them on the opposing chairs. In the doorway, Edward took Jasper out of sight.

"What's going on?" Were Scott's words, and he eyed his sister in frustration as she shrugged.

She turned back to her father. "Is this to do with you asking me to stay away from...?"

He nodded into his hand, a grimace contorting his profile. "Is there any way to turn the lights down?" He grumbled, and Carlisle stood to turn the dimmer.

Finally, Michael lifted his face, and squinted.

"Thanks," he sighed. The wrinkles around his eyes decreased slowly as they opened, and turned them back to Alenia, and occasionally to Scott.

"Ok-"

"Just explain first why you said what you said, please," she interrupted. He nodded in understanding.

"I think it would make more sense...that would make more sense...if I explain from the beginning. And," he added, and gave a meaningful look to Scott, "it involves both of you."

Both were routed, attention captured. They barely even exchanged glances, and she had almost forgotten Carlisle's presence until his voice chimed in.

"Perhaps, Michael, I should begin."

The dark haired man eyed him with weak burnt amber eyes, but motioned in defeat. The blond man nodded in satisfaction, obviously thinking he was still to nauseated to be in the correct form of mind.

"Before your father explains, I feel I must at first tell you about Renesme, unless Jasper has already told you?"

She nodded stiffly, feeling numb and impatient. "Human-vampire hybrid, yeah."

"Good, then you understand that vampires and humans can have children. This, admittedly, was a secret even to us until Renesme's arrival a couple of years ago."

He paused to check she understood, trusting her to explain in more detail to Scott later. He obviously knew of their nature by now.

"Up until now, we have been, lets say...curious...about your gift, and we may have an-"

"Please, just come out with it," Scott pleaded, and while he attempted to look bored and slouched, his fingers were tapping anxiously on his thigh.

"Scott," Alenia warned, but she too was impatient. Carlisle nodded, and held up a hand in understanding. "I apologise for drawing this on, but certain details cannot be dismissed. But, if it alleviates any anxiety..."

He paused, sending just a short look towards Michael. He took a breath, and avoided each pair of eyes surrounding him.

"Your grandfather, my father. He was a vampire. I, like this man's granddaughter, am a hybrid. That, in consequence..."

"Makes me, and Scott..."

"Part vampire, yes."


	33. Chapter 33

A silence fell over the room with those words, but all the quiet in the world wouldn't drive the words in her skull. She was waiting for a realisation to fall over her, like an epiphany, or something akin to that. Something would momentarily make her head swim in the same way it did when vampires became a reality for her.

But when she thought back, it was never really a shock. And neither was this.

"You'll need time to think this through," her father, whom she had forgotten was still sat right next to her, said softly. She didn't even look to him. Her eyes were staring ahead. They were almost watering with the strain. Alenia thought that, maybe, with some concentration, it would eventually hit home. The weight on the space next to her disappeared, breaking her from whatever was occupying her mind. Her hand flew to grip Michael's wrist before she knew what she was doing. Their eyes met instantly, and she pushed away her surprise that she had never realised the speed of her movements before.

"Please, Dad...the rest of it," she whispered, her voice barely escaping her throat. She let go of his arm when he shook his head, as though remembering his words a few minutes ago. A mist descended from his eyes, and the weight was replaced next to her.

"Well, you know I travelled to Italy from home," he began. He seemed reluctant to look his daughter in the eye, but she nodded any way.

"You must trust, I never knew of the Vol...the Vol...turi...If..."

Tears pierced the corners of her eyes as she listened to him fall apart, and she almost understood. From what she had witnessed behind her own eyes, they were savages. Savage, red eyed demons.

"They didn't...hurt you..."

Carlisle's voice picked up from where Michael's fell away, his face now in his hands, shaking. "No, but your father's colleagues were unfortunately so. It was only by recognition of Michael's..._nature..._that they didn't kill him, also. It seems they have grown fearful of half vampires, since the only ones they are aware of are on good terms with our family."

"They...massacred..._everyone... _in our party. It wasn't just us...families...just tourists..."

"Their deaths are easily concealed, that way. It's a habit of theirs."

Alenia turned her eyes to her father's profile, drawing out behind his hands, making his eyes appear sore, despite no visible tears. She waited for him to go on, not knowing fully whether she wanted to hear the rest. But she _needed _to.

His voice came out crackled to begin with, and she almost went to hold his hand, before memory nagged it away. "They assumed I was part of this family, or so I realise now. I learnt all about the war, between your family and them. That's why I asked you to...stay away. A lapse of judgement I apologise for, sincerely."

Carlisle nodded his ready forgiveness, but Alenia knew the apology was for her as much as him.

"They presented this family as ruthless savages, and I assumed the hatred was well deserved, from what I heard later. Their leader. Aro. You have heard of him?"

She nodded stiffly. Just his name made her sick. To think that man would have been in charge of the group that murdered Jasper...no. She reminded herself it was just a vision, but she needed him in view. She needed him close. But she had a feeling he was, in proximity, listening intently.

"Soon after the war, he grew mad. They believed it was due to shame, questioning, no one knew for sure. But he was found one evening begging one of his guards to kill him. The next morning, he was gone. No one knows what happened to him."

Once again, silence fell over the room, but less enduring than the last. Alenia sensed eyes, and found Carlisle's. Somehow, she read what he was thinking before he said it outloud.

"I've thought through the dates, and it appears that our...daughter..."

"It would have been around that time," Jasper's voice finished, leaving the implications obvious to anyone who knew the story. Alenia just snapped her eyes to him and drank in his image, like quenching a thirst she only just realised she was supressing. He joined her side in a flash, but avoided contact. After watching his eyes switch between her and her father, she knew why. And she would have giggled in any other situation.

So little had happened since seeing him last, but when she thought about it, so much had come to light.

One, she was part vampire. However much or little she was, it made a difference. And that part only pondered what she could do with that questionably sized part.

Two, it was also questionable whether her father would be the same again. The thought of not having that occasionally painfully stoic voice of reason to counter her mother was devastating.

Three, Aro had officially been declared dead. And it felt strange. It was strange, in a way that she never knew the man, but she felt...sad. Not for herself, or for him, even. Not for Carlisle, even though he had known him for _centuries. _ No. Because the sadness was directed to the girl in the basement. However evil he was, she was snapped away from a bond, similar in nature to that between Jasper and Alenia herself. And being in Alice's shoes, losing Jasper...It broke her heart and head in pieces just to think of it.

A cool breath brushed against her ear, shattering her morbid thoughts. "I need to talk to you," Jasper whispered. Without a thought, he grabbed her hand and they made their way from the house. Distance was needed in the masses to have a private conversation around this place.

He turned, and it struck her how clearly she could see him in the dark. And everything around him. She wondered how she had never noticed before. His skin looked bluish grey in the moonlight.

"You know you've messed the plan up," she stated, but she was in no way angry. To be able to feel his touch again was amazing. His mouth broke a half smile, and his fingers snaked into her other hand. "I wanted to surprise you."

She frowned lightly in question, but he began his answer with a kiss. One so simple it made her stomach dance in its cavity. When he pulled away, she almost let it go. Almost.

"Go on."

He took a deep breath, and took her hand to guide her to a spot on the ground illuminated by the light of the house, the furthest from it. They both sat, their hands remaining tightly gripped in a lock.

"Alice turned him, Rowan...when she escaped. I don't know how we didn't consider it before."

"How did you find out?"

He eyed her from the corner of his eyes, shame tinging them. "Took a leg...and an arm...he's quite resilient."

She nodded, feeling no pity. Hell, he was a vampire. One who could literally piece himself back together again.

"He also has a gift, one that explains a lot. He can conceal sense stimuli."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"He is most practised at inhibiting smell, as it is what we most rely on."

Alenia shook her head, recalling the times Jasper's siblings had returned from a hunt. With that gift, he could have hidden anything, any_one. _

"When you thought you saw her outside the car, in the woods..." He nodded.

...

"You've not said much," Michael said, watching his son intently since his daughter left the room. Nothing needed to be discussed now, or so it seemed. Scott may still be so confused. His eyes were lost, his hand leaning on his hand leaning on the arm of the chair, like it was the only thing keeping him awake. He looked so tired.

"I...I don't know what you think I should say," he said, his voice choked. A human would barely catch that. When he spoke, he barely moved an inch. Michael was beginning to worry, to wonder whether telling his son he was...that. For Alenia it was different, she was too involved to remain ignorant. Scott, on the other hand, would have perhaps been much happier in such a state of ignorance.

"Are you wondering why you told me?"

His father didn't even realise his eyes had drifted away in thought, until he snapped them back to Scott. Only his eyes had shifted, the rest of him frozen in an unidentifiable emotion. Silently, he nodded.

He nodded, his chin balancing dangerously on his palm. "Me too."


	34. Chapter 34

By the time they arrived home, Carla was fast asleep on the sofa, cordless phone in her limp hand. It was apparently later than they realised. Jasper snuck a look at the sleeping girl in his arms, imprinting the image in his mind before she woke. With that, he kissed her forehead, and her eyes drifted open sleepily.

"Can we go and talk to her tomorrow?"

Jasper felt a distant, familiar sickness. "Try get some sleep," he advised, and lowered her into a stance. She padded from the room without a word to anyone in the room, leaving them each standing awkwardly, avoiding each other's eye. Scott was next to leave, his exit more desperate. He looked like a man who had been sleep deprived for days, but that left him no less alert. By the looks of him, he would have jumped a mile if his jacket caught on the door handle.

That left Jasper and Michael, who was working away at his traumatised expression and now had more or less achieved his arrogant exterior. Jasper would have been fooled, but he was too practised at such a show.

"Well, Jasper. Would have liked to meet you under better circumstances," he finally said, touching his words with humour that barely reached the rest of his features. But Jasper laughed anyway, and offered his hand out in front of him. "In any case, sir, it's good to meet you." Michael took his hand with genuine acceptance. While he knew he would never say it, Jasper could read the sentiment behind his burnt amber eyes.

...

"Paradox in _Act 1_, Marcus. An example, if you please," Mrs Willis's voice ordered sarcastically. If her voice were not so loud and piercing, Alenia would barely have heard it. She wasn't even tuned in enough to hear the boy's answer, and she was too familiar with _Othello_ to care about missing anything. Just as long as her head didn't roll off of the hand it was resting on, and she looked semi focused, she would get away without being picked on. And perhaps, it would make time go faster. Alenia glanced up at the clock, and its gold second hand ticked once in what seemed like at least 6 seconds.

She only wished he was in this class, just to make it fascinating. The bell rang, and she jolted in her place. She left the room to the teacher's voice calling out the essay title.

She found Jasper waiting, searching for her amid the gaggle of students. A nervous smile told that he finally had found her, and he met her the rest of the way. The image reminded her faintly of just one week previous, meeting her from History class, waiting just as he was then. The kiss reminded her of just how much change 7 fickle days could bring.

She breathed a "hello" on his lips, ignoring the stares the display was achieving. Again, she couldn't help but feel smugness tinge her mood. His cold hand drew goosebumps on her arms, but the good kind. Alenia closed her eyes to the sensation.

"I believe we are making quite a few people uncomfortable," he smirked, but he didn't move. The phrase, "to hell with them", was never part of her book, until then.

"We have something to talk about," Alenia reminded him, and he shifted under her stare. His topaz eyes avoided hers with searching. His lips kept twitching, as though to say something, but he didn't say a word.

"Please, whatever she's done, you care for her. She's your sister, Jaz. She needs to know you at least understa-"

She was cut off by a sharp exhale as his hand gripped hers tightly. "She is no sister of mine. In this life, you choose your family."

"And yet you stayed with her for years. _Decades. _Do you remember telling me why?"

When he said nothing, having been silenced, she answered her own question, knowing he knew she was right, how ever deep down that was. Alenia took a look round, to make sure it was as empty as it sounded. "Because, like you, she didn't want you hunt humans anymore. She didn't want to hurt them anymore. That was what drew you to her."

His pale lids concealed his irises. "Damnable vampire memory."

Her smile was weak, because she didn't know what he was thinking. For moments she wished she had Edward's gift, but sometimes its best not to know. Sometimes it was best to only see things that had already happened. "Imagine losing your soul mate, Jasper."

"I don't want to," he snapped in a sharp whisper, finally drawing his forehead from hers to get a good look of her. He bought them so he could lean back on one of the lockers. For a while, longer than probably was in reality, he was quiet. Alenia wished she could take the fear from his eyes, the very fear that made his hands tremble.

Suddenly, he spoke. "Fine."

...

The house was empty upon appearance, all that could be heard were the near-silent footsteps of the two teenagers entering through the door.

"She wouldn't be on her own," Jasper whispered, and just then Esme's motherly face appeared around the door beneath the staircase, leading to the basement. That smile, permanently on her features, barely faltered under Jasper's confused glare.

"How is she?" he asked, and Alenia could even hear that his jaw was clenched. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, and kept her eyes on Esme for a reply. "She's better, dear." With that she smiled sweetly at the girl by his side and shot away to another place in the house.

"I guess there's no better time for it..."

Alenia nodded stiffly, and that was enough for him to pounce on the glimmer of doubt. "You don't have to do this. You owe her nothing."

She shook her head and used her strength to drag him from his space. She continued that way, ploughing through the door, the passageways, before her fear of Alice drove her in the opposite direction, and stopped at the wooden door. The door seemed foolish, wooden and weak to a vampire. Even with the explanation Carlisle gave a couple of days before.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was just using a rouse to get out."

She blanked his cynicism and inched the door open. For a moment she doubted whether Jasper needed to be there at all, until she remembered, she didn't know how much vampire strength she had against a full vampire, weakened and starved or otherwise.

"Alice?"

The usually dark room was lit by a candle on a round wooden stool, placed in the middle of the floor where the small figure usually sat. It took a little more searching to find her, this time standing. The candle light was barely strong enough to reveal her face. But it flickered in her wide eyes as two white-gold sparks.

"Can we come in?" she asked, and took the lack of denial as an invitation. Jasper followed closely behind.

"Twice in one year?" Alice mocked, her voice a little clearer than last. Alenia had a creeping feeling along her spine.

"Mom says you're ok?" he said, that similar tone in his voice of strained, clenched teeth. Whether it was Alenia's or his own fear he felt, she couldn't know for sure.

The lights moved as she stepped forward, one at a time with grace more human that creature-like. Disconcerting as it was, it was a comfort to know she wasn't totally defenceless. But she knew she also had to tread carefully.

"Before you say it, I know why you're here. You know that. So let me tell you where this conversation leads. You tell me you understand about Aro, and then you patronize me about-"

"Can you help us find Rowan?"

She was snapped into silence at once. Her eyes flicked to the set sure to be focused on her head, but Alenia was more focused on the relief she felt that her plan had worked. It had occurred to her not long before she drifted off in the early hours of that morning. It wasn't too difficult to concentrate on the irrepressible pity she truly felt. This way, she caught her off guard.

"She's smart, Jaz," she remarked, not once taking her eyes from the girl. Those lights stayed still as rocks, as stubborn as the goose bumps along her forearms. "How did you know?"

"I have visions, too."

"Oh yes, of the past. In ways, quite similar to A- him."

...

Jasper watched lifelessly as the two women passed comments and retorts, both holding back a common emotion; fear. But, to his pride and surprise, it was Alice's that was most dominant. This girl before her was strange, immeasurably so, to her. She was a polar opposite, one who had acquired information from his past to use against her, and she hated that. The unknown. That, she was never used to, or scared of. He wondered whether that was what had twisted her, almost beyond recognition. Seeing her, for the first time since knowing what truly caused it, only made her transformation all the more...pitiful.

Whether he agreed with his mate's methods to gain access to her, however, was questionable. For the first time since they'd met, he was reminded of Victoria.

Alice seemed to read his thoughts. "Strange of you, Jasper, to chose someone capable of such...deceit. It's quite...familiar, don't you think?" Her voice was on the edge of a sneer, and it made his stomach churn unpleasantly.

"How can you be around something like her, who so resembles her?"

"It's never crossed my mind. She is nothing like her."

"Who?" Alenia asked, her eyes wide as she turned her head to see him.

"Leave it alone, Alice."

The small stature bounced on her toes, the flash of flame reflecting in her teeth. She was like a child who'd gotten their sibling into trouble. A sick, twisted child. "Lets go," he mumbled to Alenia. She stared at him for a moment, and turned back.

"Alice, please. Help us."

She smirked, and turned away from them.

"This is your mess, you know. It's yours to clean up."

Jasper was surprised again, by the coldness in her voice. It clashed with the fear that caused her hand to tighten around his. Nevertheless, it was a side he had never thought he would see.

He caught a glimpse of the icy stare Alice was giving before it was replaced with a manic smile. Somehow, Jasper felt something snap.


	35. Chapter 35

Everything happened in what seemed to be one single motion, with one peek around the open door.

In a flash, Jasper was lunging forward, his hand outstretched for Alice's throat. Alenia was frozen, her arm in a similar position after him, but Edward didn't hesitate. He was on him too soon for any harm to be done.

"Jasper! Jas- snap out of it!"

He turned his brother to him, and flinched at the fury blazing in his golden eyes like solar flame. But it wasn't a hunger, like when he desperately lunged for Bella that once, but it was more intense. It was more focused than that last time.

"Come on, we shouldn't be down here."

Alice seemed to escape everyone's notice as Jasper was forced from the room, but his outburst didn't hinder his protectiveness over Alenia, and she took his hand instantly, with only a small amount of weariness.

"Wait!"

Edward, Alenia, and eventually Jasper, looked around the door, and found Alice pursuing them. She stopped right back in the middle of the room.

"What is it?" Edward scowled coldly, but hated himself from then on after registering her expression. Her thoughts were, on the other hand, running by too fast to read.

"You never ask why I don't try to escape. You never ask why I'm willing to just mope around here and starve."

"Because you're a shell, Alice."

...

The small girl scoffed humourlessly, and crossed her arms to her chest, as if to keep a chill at bay.

"I'm sorry," Edward excused, his voice no less cold than before. He couldn't seem to stop himself.

Jasper, having seemingly almost recovered, shrugged from his brother's grasp around his shoulders. Alenia gripped tightly at his hand, having become warm with her own. His voice came out strained and quiet, but loud compared to the tense quiet of the atmosphere. "Explain it, then."

"You already know it all. Even she does."

"Then confirm it. You wouldn't leave those questions in the air unanswered."

She shifted under his stare, eyes flitting around nervously.

"I've nothing, Jasper. Three years ago, I had a family. One that I had chosen, and trusted with my being. Now, I'm back where I began. As a freak, in a cage."

"We had no choice," Edward chimed in, but his voice was struggling to convey that same indifference.

"I know that, Ed! You know what? Try being on the other side of the world while you feel something **snap** within you, and living with that regret that you avoided, even _detested_, that very wire that connected you to the other half of you. Can you imagine that? Of course not- ...don't you dare use those months you were away from her as an example."

Edward closed his mouth, hanging open like a fish's. When he spoke again, it was a sheepish murmur.

"Your having visions again," he observed, it was rhetorical. Daring, he lessened the space between them with a few steps, slow even to a human.

"We can help, Alice. We're your family, we chose you, too."

"But in order for that to happen," Jasper inserted, "we need to clean up your mess."

Alice looked lost for words, and Alenia felt she could only observe the situation. Something in Alice's demeanour suggested she was giving in.

"I'll need to come up with something. You are aware that you'll need me with you."

Jasper nodded once in the corner of her vision.

"Good. Edward, keep listening."

...

They decided not to tell the others, for the right reasons. They would only warn them against it, and Esme, the only other occupant of the house at the time, gave no indication whether she had heard or not.

"I'll get you home," Jasper announced, and Alenia didn't want to refuse. Her head was close to splitting.

"I miss normal," she groaned on the way out, and he laughed. "Sorry for that."

She shrugged, and climbed into the car. Again, for the second time that day, she was reminded of how much had changed. It felt like normalcy already.

"You ok?" He asked, and she was aware of the shiver she felt at his voice. Perhaps a little delayed, she nodded, his voice still echoing in her mind as she savoured it.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

The engine started smoothly, and her hand gripped tighter as they journey continued.

...

Edward was going to be eternally grateful he was the only one with the gift of telepathy in the household. But he still felt uneasy about the plan, or anticipated plan, as though he were blurting the thoughts out as they came to him at the top of his lungs. He was even suspicious that Emmett knew, despite his extraordinarily well hidden intelligence. Carlisle was sure to pick up on it, when he arrived home. But he could only afford to concentrate on one mind.

He wished that he could send messages her, to be part of the masses of sentences sent his way and make them intelligible. He wished he could go down and discuss it over a chess game, like the old days. Or hunting. He wished he could hunt. He wished he had his sister back, his wife had her best friend, his daughter her favourite aunt, despite Rose's best efforts.

He wished he could trust her.

He hated waiting, waiting for any thoughts to knit together to form an idea, for any ideas to become a plan. But then he had to wait for her to watch how things turned out, and how long that would take was questionable. With an inexperienced newborn, it could be an hour to a day, with very little damage caused. But time was running out, and the only thing keeping him close was his hold on Alice, as Jasper had informed him the night before. He was like Riley, Victoria's Alsatian.

"Penny for your thoughts, bro," a gruff voice interrupted. Edward grabbed the closed book on his couch and threw it at the door, right in Emmett's childish face. "Not now."

His large frame ploughed in the room like a bull, and he buried his hands in his pockets. "You're always here."

"Meaning?" Edward propped his head up on his arms behind it, feigning interest at the seeming complaint.

"I mean, Bell's never here...you guys fighting?"

Edward laughed, and sat up fully to face his brother. Emmett remained, routed and awkward. But his eyes held a glint, fed by gossip and news of fights, any fights.

"No, not exactly."

In the next instant he was sat next to him, sending a book from its place that was in his way. "Go on."

"Might as well tell you...I've been...banned. But not from Bella. By Renesme-"

Emmett let out a huge "ha!"

"Your kid has just thrown you out?"

"Wedding planning."

Emmett suddenly stopped clutching his stomach. He turned his eyes on him with a dramatic slowness. "What?!"

"Yes."

"What do you-...I mean, how do you feel about it?"

Edward shrugged, and used the opportunity to check into Alice's thoughts. They were still racing.

"I have no say, he asked permission. What can I do?"

Emmett began shaking his head incredulously to his own musings, mumbled something about spreading the news, and Edward couldn't stop him. He was relieved for the opportunity to concentrate again.

_Ed, got it._

_..._

"I'm sorry, about what you saw."

"It's fine," Alenia assured him, but her words were a little short. To compensate, she snuggled into his side, to demonstrate he didn't scare her as he thought. "Who was she talking about?"

"Just someone we once knew. It doesn't matter."

It didn't. He would tell her if it did. He didn't just see her as something to protect, and besides, he knew she would find out eventually. He was aware of how strong her instincts were.

"Do you trust her?"

Jasper's body shifted atop the covers, adjusting them both so they were face to face. "I'm not sure. I think that's why she asked Ed to keep listening, to justify our trust. For that, not exactly."

Alenia thought over his words for a moment.

"That was...crafty, what you did," he commented, his voice holding a hint of a smile. But she felt a guilt for not telling him, despite it probably ruining the plan. "She said I was good at deceit, like _'her'. _Who?"

Jasper closed his eyes impatiently, and took a needless breath. When he exhaled, his breath was a welcome icy relief. "Her name was Victoria, a nomad who killed humans. Her mate took Bella, so we killed him."

He continued the story, all the way to her death. One similarity Alenia picked up on was how similar their methods were to deceive the fortune teller. The savage he described made her feel all the more ashamed.

"But you are nothing like her, as I said. If anything-"

"Alice was describing herself."

Jasper smiled gently, and stroked her cheek with a single finger. "Exactly."

She couldn't tell when from then on, since the contented silence fell, when she drifted into a sleep. She barely knew, because it was a dreamless one, blissful and empty.

...

He watched her for an hour before he had the courage to move, gently sliding his arm from beneath her neck so she wouldn't wake. It was light, from what he could tell, and he didn't want her to dream tonight.

He slide his phone from his pocket, having known for that time that he had messages from his brother to come home. He read the first 3 out of 7, having gathered the gist from the first 2. **Get home, now**, was the general idea. With one last glance at her, he leapt from the windowsill in a feline motion, making barely a light thud on the grass.

Once he arrived home, he received an 8th text.

**Cottage.**

Jasper frowned, and picked up on the many voices contained in the house. He identified Rose, Bella, Esme, and Renesme, with the occasional, excited Emmett. Why he was so excited, he couldn't stick around to question. He raced to the cottage before anyone could sense him. In a minute, he was slowing to a walk to greet his brother, pacing on the doorstep.

"Has she thought of something?"

Edward nodded glumly, and flicked his head to motion inside. They found their way into the warm front room in tense silence, and Jasper noticed how it seemed to be lit by fire light, despite the decorational fireplace being empty.

"It's risky," Edward mused, so quietly that Jasper thought he was talking to himself. "Why?"

"Because," he began as he turned, "it involves her being in the forest, alone."

So, she obviously think's were stupid, he sneered to himself. Edward nodded in agreement. "But it may be the only answer. Unless we threaten her with death to bring him out."

"He's not going to care about that above his own life. Rowan doesn't exactly have a moral approach, and he's not an idiot."

"So Alice's solution is the only option."

Jasper tried to find a way around that, but his lack of trust fell in the way. Who knows what she would try if she was just trying to get out, if she wasn't on their side? She was barely sane, but she was clever with it, too. Perhaps she was working to their rules, just to gain misplaced trust.

What if she went after Alenia? It would be easy.

"But she already confessed, she has no reason to. Think about it, she has nothing out there now. Plus we caught her last time."

Jasper, again, stopped to consider, and sank into the arm chair behind. Not only did he consider Alice's actions, he brought himself to consider Rowan. The first day back from break came to mind, and the monster that attacked her in her own room.

"Maybe, we could try something." He suddenly felt angry at himself why he didn't consider it before. After all, he had suggested it to someone else, before now.

"We make a trail," Edward caught on. "He'll follow he scent for certain."

Suddenly, hearing out loud made him feel sick. He couldn't use her like that.

"But it's for her safety, Jas... But I guess there is another way."

"What?"

Edward cocked his eyebrow up at his apparently highly intelligent brother. "Clothing."


	36. Chapter 36

For 4 whole days and nights, Edward and Jasper worked alone on the trail, using one of her coats and a dress. The fewer there was of them, the less chance of the trail becoming suspicious.

Day 1 came and passed, no sign of Rowan, despite the trail crossing at least 5 miles through the forest between her house and theirs. Day 2, they strengthened the scent. But nothing happened.

By day 3, Jasper was anxious. Anxious about the possibilities of other options, and how they were running out. Day 4, he realised that the two remaining options were the ones he was trying to avoid.

Whether he was aware of the nature of the trail, or whether he just hadn't picked up on it yet, was questionable. His judgement was hindered by panic, and, for the first time in a life time, a feeling of over protection. It took all his will power to stop himself taking over Emmett's duties of guarding the house, just so he could see her. The best he could do was call her once a night, and avoid the subject in case someone was listening.

...

I hate this, she grumbled to herself stubbornly. Why did Emmett have to be the one outside? As much as she loved the huge baby of a bear below the window, it wasn't him she needed to see. She was only grateful it wasn't Edward. He'd have a great time deciphering the crazy going through her head right now, getting worse as each morning rose with another sleepless night.

With a huff, she threw her covers away and got dressed, barely looking in the mirror as she did it. When he was away, she barely cared. Maybe that was quite pathetic, but she didn't care much about that, either.

Downstairs, the kitchen table had two occupants. It was silent, save for an ignorant Carla chopping salad as though she were on a continuous loop. Her father sat at the end of the table, Scott as far away as possible without having to face him on the other end. Neither had said a word to each other since Sunday night, and Scott hadn't said anything to her besides for a few grunts in reply to her enquiries. But each time she resolved to confront him, Carla interrupted with her presence.

School flew by, as it did most days, and the routine was second nature to her now. She attended English, had lunch with the remaining Cullen's, went to biology, spent time in library, and went home. Emmett had his orders to give her a ride everyday, and he took them very, very seriously. That particular journey, she decided she was going to have it out with Scott, to tick another problem off her list, as it were. She would brave his room if she had to.

The house was apparently deserted, which was good. Carla would be at work, and Michael presumably job hunting.

"Scott?"

Her ears picked up a shuffling movement upstairs, and she pursued it. Hesitantly, she knocked on his door.

"Hmm."

Pushing the door open, she expected a smell of sweetness, popcorn, and dirty socks. Or onions, to support his love of onion sandwiches he had back home. But instead, she was stunned to silence. The room was emaculate, and bright, despite it greyish blue walls.

"Yes?"

Scott was stood with a cloth in his hand next to the windowcill. The image almost made her forget the purpose for the intrusion. "Since when are you the clean freak?"

He shrugged, and kept his face expressionless. "Since I became as neurotic as you."

She narrowed her eyes at him in an attempt to lighten the tone, but he turned back to the invisible mark on the paintwork. "What do you want?" he demanded as he worked away at it.

"To talk about this whole mess of a situation."

He stayed to his work, becoming more violent with that poor cloth. "What situation? So what if I feel like I'm in 'The Lost Boys'?"

"Scott, it's not that big a deal."

"Isn't it? He lied to us-"

"He evaded the truth, that's not lying."

The cloth was squeaking under the force, Scott's words came forced out in a grunt. "He never told us those kinds of things existed."

"Things...?"

"Don't...get...defensive," he grunted between squeaks. "Monsters," he mumbled under his breath. But she heard it, over the progressively loud sound of the cloth. But she held her ground, despite her anger.

"There are monsters among all species, Scott. Right now, those 'monsters', are out there keeping us safe-"

"Ha! Now they're from Krypton or something-"

A smash snapped away at his words, and both were frozen. Scott's eyes were fixated on his hand. And the large chunk of wood he'd broken out of the windowsill, replaced by the bloody appendage. Glass was sticking out of the back of his hand. He was stunned. She ran to him straight away, tugged at his hand and pulled him to the bathroom, hastily holding the cloth to his hand. "Idiot", she said, and started taking the glass and splinters out in the sink. He didn't even complain. Afterwards, after it had been cleaned and bandaged, she set him down back in his totally clean room, and sat with him on his sofa bed.

"We have a thing for smashed windows," he suddenly observed and a ghost like voice. He was still pale, but the sweats had stopped. Alenia almost laughed, it made her jump so much, but she resisted. She quickly realised he hadn't known what had happened to hers until a few nights ago, and she hadn't yet thought of an explanation.

"That was to do with them, wasn't it?"

She nodded. "Jas saved me. From the...vampire...they're trying to catch."

He huffed in weak amusement beside her, and relief washed over her when she found a content smile on his chalky face. "That was kind of cool, though. I broke a solid object by cleaning."

"And very nearly your hand."

He checked it, and shrugged. "Doesn't even hurt," he remarked flippantly. Suddenly he began unwrapping the bloodied bandages.

"Damn," he whispered, staring down at the hand, the only evidence of the accident being perfect white scars.

...

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

Edward motioned for her to at least reach the door, and she hesitantly obeyed.

The whole Cullen family, save for Jasper, was waiting upstairs, some in total disagreement with the decision Edward had made almost singlehandedly. But instead of taking her directly to them, he agreed to Alice's request to clean herself up first. Since she hadn't seen herself in a mirror for pretty much 2 years, she wasn't sure she wanted to be alone for the results. But she braved it, and hid behind her fingers before the mirror, taking the tiniest peak, each time a little more. Eventually, she realised how much of a nomad she looked. It didn't bother her too much. She grabbed the cloth and almost began, when she caught a nearby scent. Alice glanced in the mirror, to find Bella waiting in the door way.

"Remember when I was the pretty one?"

Bella smiled, but Alice was terrified of putting a foot wrong. Out of everyone, it was her she most dreaded seeing. Her disappointment in her would be too much for her, and pity was something she did too often. Now it was likely that everyone knew, pity from all corners was inevitable.

"Hurry, Ness is barely able to contain herself." With that she was gone. Alice began scrubbing away with a shaky hand. Clean and changed, she made the journey to the upstairs living area.

They were all there, except for one face. That was for the best, it made this a little easier, in some way. Because of his absence, however, she couldn't ignore how everyone had seemingly changed. Only the tiniest and most subtle, of course, perhaps a result of the absence. Ed, Bella and their now fully grown daughter were a solid family unit to one side, Renesme's face brimming with innocent delight, as though she were ignorant of the last couple of years. Emmett and Rose were on a sofa, looking weary. There was a new age, insight, in Emmett's eyes that wasn't there before. Rose appeared to be less bitter, her face free of it's presumed permanent scowl. Carlisle and Esme were at the front. Carlisle was...unreadable.

"We can't wait, Alice," Edward announced, emerging from the group and checking her over. That was when she realised her place in this family; she had none. She was an outsider, now, simply helping out.

"No you're not," he said as they made their way out, just out of earshot. Alice knew what he meant. He was her only brother, her only family, now. Once they were out in the drive way, he handed her a dark green coat. "Put this on, you still remember the plan?"

She gave him a look. "I came up with it, imbecile."

She threw on the coat, shielding her thoughts the best she could. After all, she knew how this ended.

...

The sky was in twilight, all pink and purple hues becoming progressively distinct, sharpening the silhouettes of the trees framing the arena of flowers and grass of impossible colour, now blending into one. But, just as before, her mind was distracted by the man beneath her head, still as stone, as he fiddled with the ends of her fingers. They hadn't said a word for around 15 minutes, but they didn't need to. All was understood, all was known between them. Soon, the situation looming over them would soon be over, and they could have more days like this.

If only she could push away the sense of impending doom. She suddenly realised she didn't want to take the forever they had together for granted.

...

Alice waited...and waited. She waited in the very space she'd first met the boy, Rowan. She knew it wouldn't take long. As she waited, she raked over the details of her plan, now miles away from Edward. She watched behind her eyes how it would pan out, each vision being almost identical, save for a change in dialogue.

But each ended the same way.

One of them wasn't going to make it.

"Alice," a deep voice greeted close behind her ear, but she'd already sensed him. She turned, and gave him the smile she knew he loved.


	37. Chapter 37

Jasper picked up the scent, and decided it was time to leave. Lightly stroking Alenia's cheek, she gave him a squeeze and rose to her feet. For the first time, he was surprised by her speed. She giggled at his face, and kissed him with the sweetest smile on his lips. When they parted, he was overtaken by an urge to simply look at her. To just look, stare into the eyes he'd memorized, to appreciate their golden colour, as she stared back in his own. There was a bittersweetness that he couldn't ignore, no matter how much he tried, and sensed that she did, too. Again, she kissed him. But with an intensity and longing that told him she didn't want this to end.

They exited the field, hand in hand, chatting about anything that had happened at school. Idle, silence-filling, ignorant, but it was nice, just to have a sense of normality for once. Talking about what any couple did.

The cell phone buzzed in his pocket, and he answered the call with his other hand.

"Alice is out there," Carlisle's voice warned. Jasper's eyes widened.

"So is Rowan," he replied, suddenly feeling weak. He had no trust for either of them. Alenia's hand tightened, but he resisted looking at her expression. He felt it.

The line was silent for a long time, ended by 3 words.

"Get back. Now."

Some leaves crunched from behind as the line went dead. He crushed the phone in his hand, the individual pieces falling and losing themselves in the grass.

"Jas," Alenia whispered, ever so quietly, as he began to turn.

Rowan was standing, silent, that grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Jasper noticed his eyes kept flitting to an area behind them, among the trees. They were isolated. But Jasper couldn't sense a thing. Suddenly, all sound was cut off.

...

A hand snatched her away too quickly for him to grab her back, and the next thing she felt was tree bark crash against her back, knocking the wind from her. Behind the tears, brimming thickly in her eyes, Alice was scowling with a murderous stare. Her bare hand wasn't cutting the air off completely, but she was pinned, powerless.

She was panicking, and watching Jasper broke her heart. He was stood in the clearing alone, staring blankly like a blind man, groping at the air she occupied a few seconds ago. Rowan's shoulders were jumping and shuddering with irrepressible laughter. The anger was boiling within her, heating her skin.

Then he launched at Jasper, and he seemed to wake up from a trance. All at once, they began throwing punches, throwing eachother around the clearing in a blur, too fast for Alenia to follow. But she couldn't tear her eyes away, and the tears fell into Alice's hand, still on her throat. Her profile was unreadable, as her eyes were turned away.

"How...he's...your brother..."

She ignored her words as though she hadn't heard them. Her eyes were focused on the fight like she was betting on them.

It only lasted a few more seconds, when the grunts suddenly became more audible and distinct from the wind rushing past their movements. When she looked, she screamed.

Jasper's arms were held out at either side of him, and Rowan kicked him in the back, forcing him to his knees. His booted foot pressed against his spine, his newborn strength having overpowered Jasper. Then a noise began to sound, like stone against stone. One she would never forget.

Rowan's face was contorted as he tugged at the arms. In one motion, he gave one last pull, and slammed his boot down. The sound was of glass smashing.

Something snapped within, and the pain surged through her, too intense and too fast for her to resister it.

She didn't want to.

She didn't want to feel a thing.

Her only image was the after image, the pieces of stone on the floor, once Jas...

It hurt to say the name.

She wanted to do one of 3 things once she closed her eyes. Stare into the blackness, kick and scream and scrape the face off the closest thing to her, and sink. Sink into a nothingness.

To feel nothing.

She felt a breeze on her throat, and she felt her knees buckle beneath her. Her eyes opened as the force of landing shot pain through her legs. They found on a sight she couldn't yet register.

Jasper was still standing, not seeing and not hearing. But not dead, either.

Nothing made sense, until her eyes landed on Alice's feet, turned away as she walked towards the grinning Rowan, his shoulders still shuddering.

It was a vision.

A short distance away, some other figures began appearing. Rose ran to her, and helped her up. She didn't realise the tear marks down her face. Her hands were watching Jasper's hand groping the air beside him. The pain crippling her was retreating.

Gently pulling away from the arms holding her up, she joined the man, and locked her hand in his, just as it was becoming panicked. She watched for any signs of his senses coming back, for his blank eyes to come back to her.

"Rowan, lets kill them all at once. You know how," Alice's voice teased, and she hugged her arms around the man whose eyes were now only for her.

"Alenia? Are you ok?" Jasper gushed at once, and fresh tears began to free fall. It was the voice that, a few minutes ago, she didn't think she would hear again. The sound made her smile uncontrollably through her leaking eyes, blocking her voice. Instead of saying it, she allowed her relief and happiness to flow freely.

Behind, the family was watching the pair ahead, their daughter and sister seeming to have cheated them. Alenia and Jasper walked backwards to join them, and Alenia made contact with Edward's eyes. They were not guilty, but saddened and disconnected, like he was listening intently. His arms tightened on Bella's shoulders, as though to hold her in place. He went back to watching the couple ahead. Alice was allowing him to kiss her, her hand reaching into his jacket. She pulled out a small shiny object. Flipping it open, a flame jumped to life from her hand. It fell from the fingers, but Rowan was too distracted as the dry leaves fed the flames, licking higher.

Bella was screaming, as the reality was dawning on her. The sound was deafening. Edward was an image of pain, but his hands were secured on the shoulders tugging against his power. Esme, Emmett and Rose were crying tearless weeps, and Carlisle was struggling to keep his façade. Jasper just looked sick.

Rowan had realised now, but was failing to push his way out of Alice's grip. Her face was hidden in his chest, but her short stature was quickly consumed in fire anyway. The roaring sounded out Rowans desperate shouts.

Within a minute more of flames, cries and pleas, it began to dwindle, and they were each staring, silent, at the pile of rubble on the floor, mixed with both Alice and the newborn. Bella launched ahead, and began digging. Edward followed wearily, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Why didn't you stop it?!" She suddenly shouted in his face, followed by a terrified flock of bird fleeing above. "You wanted her dead!"

Edward pulled his struggling wife into his chest, but she punched against him. He resisted to let her go, until she gave up, and went limp.

"It was what she wanted," he whispered into her hair, perhaps only for her, but Alenia heard it. Just as she heard everything. Jasper pulled her into his chest, and she took in everything that was him. His voice as he whispered questions about her well being, the coolness of his body, calming her. The fact that he was moving, alive as only a vampire could be.

The Cullen's decided to bury what remains they could find of Alice while they were still asunder. The plan brought comfort to them, as they planned the ceremony, the location, just how she would have done it before. Jasper chose to leave it to them, and spent that night with Alenia, who had told him the reason behind the pain, still raw, that occupied the space at the back of her mind. At first, he was angry and livid beyond words. After all, he couldn't know the pain that both Alenia and Alice had experienced. Just talking about it hurt, and it probably always would. But she understood Alice's motives.

The following day, Saturday, seemed to have come round so fast. Jasper escaped through the window, and called at the front door when Alenia was dressed. His eyes were more tired than usual, and for a moment at the door, he simply looked like an extraordinarily handsome young boy, now coming to terms with the grief he felt for his sister's death instead of ignoring it.

In the living area, Michael and Scott were now on speaking terms, albeit a little awkward, and were discussing what he'd been doing in their new home. Wonderfully ignorant. With Carla at work, as usual, it seemed as though nothing had changed whatsoever, from an outsider's perspective.

"Is all well?" Scott asked in his best posh voice, and Alenia shared a look with Michael, who's eyes seemed to know everything. "Yes," she said. Part of it was a lie, but she knew that, soon enough, it would be.

"What's happening today?" She asked him as he drove, suspicious of that playful smile sneaking at his lips. "Ya'll see. No using that intuition, miss." For that once, she obeyed, but for all she knew it could be anything from hiking to dancing. In reality, she found it was totally to be expected.

"I guess it's long overdue," he excused guiltily, and tugged her hand into the old movie theatre.


	38. Chapter 38

Not many of the family fully understood his habit of talking to Alice, with two exceptions. Bella, who did it on a regular basis, and Alenia who, like her presumed future sister-in-law, believed in the souls of vampires. His religious upbringing was maintained enough to not feel foolish during the process.

Once Carlisle ended his account of the days events, he felt a pressure release from his shoulders. Whether it was guilt, or knowledge of her personality, it bothered him that she couldn't have had involvement as she would have wished. Of course, she had known it would happen, and the wedding would have undoubtedly gone a lot differently, and Renesme would have pulled half her hair out with little consequence. Thankfully, Jasper served his duties, instead, and the girl was spared of the constant stiletto practices her mother had endured.

With a final kiss on the marble plaque, he straightened the freshly picked flowers, a violet colour he didn't recognise, that someone had mysteriously placed, bid her goodnight, and left to join the festivities. When he arrived, he hid in the crowds for a while, just to bask in the image of his ever-growing family. Michael and Carla had struck up conversation with Charlie, no doubt recounting the wedding of the mother of the bride. Carla was now perfectly aware, but was still coming to terms with walls blocking the true reality. Scott was close by, hiding in shyness some of their female cousin's had caused him upon introduction. He thought maybe he was just terrified of the red eyes.

As for the younger ones, the dance floor was amass with pale faces, laughing and alight with the atmosphere. Of course, some things had to go Alice's way, and Bella had set a dress code for each couple for the sake of aesthetic pleasure just as she had done in the past. For Emmett and Rose, it was purple dress and tie. The only other Cullen couple on the dance floor being Alenia and Jasper, in reds and golds. It was such a mood that even Edward was grinning across the crowd. At what was his guess. But it was a grin that signalled something afoot.

...

Alenia both loved and hated Jasper's vampire nature. Hated had simply one explanation. He was too fast for her to prepare for the surprises he had in store. Only now, she was catching up, and expected to see that she was in the field a few seconds before he took his hands away. What she didn't expect was the candle light flickering at the centre of a picnic blanket.

"So this is where you've been disappearing off to." She heard his deep, breathy laughter on her neck, and she spun round to see him before he could stop. After all, out here, she could be whatever she was in nature. And now that she could control her gift, she was able to kiss him and not ruin his surprises. She took full advantage, and then some.

When she opened her eyes to see him, he was smiling, his rare anxious smile. Golden eyes aflame.

"What?"

He took her in his arms then, and she nestled her face in his neck, taking in the scent of his skin. It was less cold these days.

He whispered something in her ear, and instantly thought she'd heard wrong. Perhaps it just sounded similar to what she'd heard...Then he whispered it again. In the voice she could never say no to. Her heart raced erratically.

"What?" she asked again, pulling only her face away to see him. He looked her straight in the eye, and she was sure she would soon be grinning like an idiot.

"Marry me," he repeated.


End file.
